Congratulations to Sheetal Patel!

She is our volunteer of the month for September. Sheetal truly enjoys working with young students. She is the mom of Manyata Patel, and has been volunteering at Centennial for 2 years. She enjoys all volunteer activities; however, her recent favorite is Workroom. Thank you so much for your time Sheetal! Centennial Comets appreciate your support. #Differencemaker

Parents of Students in Enrichment Programs! Check your email for a parent survey that was sent to gather your feedback on the Fall PTA Enrichment Programs.  Your feedback will help our Enrichment Chairs decide on Spring Enrichment Programs!  Thanks in advance!  Questions?  Please contact Debbie or Olivia at Chess@centennialpta.net or Enrichment@centennialpta.net respectively.  

PLANO ISD FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO THE PLANO FAMILIES FIRST FALL FAIR ON SATURDAY, OCT. 6

The free Fall Fair offers free school supplies for the first 100 children; a job fair; free flu shots, health and dental screenings and eyeglasses for children; soccer, dance and martial arts demos; giveaways, Pumpkin Patch photos, puppet shows, STEM activities, crafts and more.

The Plano Families First Fall Fair is free and open to families who reside in Plano or attend Plano ISD schools. With community-wide support from local businesses and nonprofits, the fair will provide an array of resources to those seeking community, educational and career services. The fair is scheduled for:

Saturday, October 6, 2018, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Plano Event Center at 2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway

Informacion en español: http://planofamiliesfirst.com/espanol/

Dozens of employers will be on hand ready to offer full-time, part-time and seasonal positions, plus a "Career Corner" where adults will receive career counseling and a free LinkedIn profile photo. Families can take advantage of free health and dental screenings as well as flu shots. Children who qualify based on need will receive eye exams and new eyeglasses at no cost to the family. There will also be fitness demonstrations, puppet shows, book giveaways, a children’s career corner complete with costumes and props, as well as science-focused educational activities.

Entertainment highlights include a free pumpkin patch photo booth, kids craft areas, dance and martial arts demos, face painting and entertainment provided by the popular children’s music group, The Que Pastas. Every family will receive a free jar of peanut butter collected during the Plano Peanut Butter Drive led by Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere and the Plano City Council.

The first 100 children to attend the event will receive free school-supply packets.

Shuttle Service Available

Families are encouraged to take advantage of 2 free shuttles provided by Plano ISD at Mendenhall Elementary, 1330 19th St. in Plano, and Christie Elementary, 3801 Rainier in Plano. Shuttles will depart from the schools on the half hour from 7:30-11 a.m. The last return shuttle will depart from the Plano Event Center at 12:45 p.m

Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere, who is spearheading the festival, said the mission of the Fair is to strengthen hard-working Plano families.

Learn more at http://planofamiliesfirst.com/ or en español at http://planofamiliesfirst.com/espanol/.

Register and 

Don't let not being a registered voter be your excuse for not having your voice heard in the upcoming election! There are state and local items on this ballot that are important and can have a lasting impact on Education for EVERY CHILD!   The last day to register to vote in the November 6 general election is only ONE week away. Register to vote by October 9th, and be a voice for over 5.3 million students in Texas. Choose public education at the polls! Visit https://www.votetexas.gov/

Please look at the Texas PTA link below to hear what our candidates for the US Senate have to say about Public Education:

https://www.txpta.org/texas-candidates-senate

See you at the polls!

Spirit Night is BACK!!

Have you checked out Pie Tap at Preston & Park?  Here is your chance!  Centennial's next Spirit Night is October 16th at Pie Tap!  Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more details.

CLICK HERE to learn more about this award winning Pizza Workshop.

Red Ribbon Week is October 22 - 26! 

Life is Your Journey, Travel Drug-Free

What is Red Ribbon Week?  Red Ribbon Week is a national celebration to mobilize communities to educate youth and encourage participation in drug prevention activities.  The Red Ribbon Week campaign has reached millions of U.S. children and families, leading and supporting families and communities in nurturing the full potential of healthy, drug- free youth.  This year's Red Ribbon Week theme is "Life is Your Journey, Travel Drug Free."  To learn more about the National Red Ribbon program, please click HERE.

How Does Centennial Celebrate Red Ribbon Week?  In addition to ongoing lessons and activities coordinated by Counselor Levin, the students and staff of Centennial also celebrate Red Ribbon week with a variety of fun, engaging theme-based activities including:

• Motivational Drug-Free BMX Assembly - Perfection on Wheels
• Drug-Free Community Leaders at Lunch
• Plano West Drum line Performance
• School-wide Dress-Up Days (schedule to be shared at a later date)
• Centennial Drug-Free Pledge
• So much more!!!

The week will culminate with our 3rd Annual Color Run where students will RUN DRUG FREE, and our Fall Family Picnic on October 26th.  Stay tuned for more details coming home as the dates approach.

If you would like to help with Red Ribbon Week activities, including decorating for Red Ribbon Week, please contact Kara Grimes at safety@centennialpta.net.  

Centennial Try-athlon – 1st event: Reflections Contest

Theme: Heroes Around Me

Categories

Dance Choreography

Film Production

Literature

Music Composition

Photography

Special Artist

Visual Arts

 Calling all students! Get ready to show your creative expression through one of these fantastic outlets. Pick the category that appeals the most to you and go to work! The entry form and official rules for each category can be found HERE or at centennialpta.membershiptoolkit.com/reflections. Visit texaspta.org/reflections to see examples of past entries awarded by Texas PTA. Be sure to have your entries submitted by November 8th!

Please See NEW DUE DATE!!

It’s Science & Engineering Fair Time! We want to encourage interested students to take advantage of this exciting opportunity – this event is also part of this year’s Try-Athlon! Your child will receive an informational letter about the fair from their homeroom teacher. There is a form to complete and return if your child is interested in participating. Once the form is submitted, your child will receive an instructional handbook with rules and guidelines around the project. All projects must follow ALL of the rules outlined in the student handbook in order to be judged.

 The campus science fair will be held in January. Contact Ms. Stephanie Greene with any questions: stephanie.greene@pisd.edu  

SCIENCE FAIR HELPFUL TIPS #1

 To start, think of an idea that interests you and begin investigating.  Here are some possible topics to study: Zoology, Botany, Weather, Space, Simple machines, Life cycles, Physics, or Geology.

 Determine what your research question is.  What are you trying to answer by conducting your experiment?  Begin recording your data in your notebook as soon as you start.  

 Don't forget to read the guidelines and follow them.  Projects that don't follow the guidelines provided in the handbook will not be judged.

 Reminder: Growing bacteria cultures is not allowed. Student must obtain approval of the District Science Coordinator BEFORE beginning any project involving invertebrates, vertebrate animals, human subjects, or any potentially dangerous substance, material or equipment.

A Few of Their Favorite Things

We love our kiddos, but let's be completely honest, teachers deserve a medal, a trophy, or something along those lines for taking on so many kiddos at once and for teaching them to be life-long learners!

It takes a very special person to become a teacher! Do you want to know more about your teacher?  Want to know about their favorite things?

Check out the Staff Favorites Page on our PTA website and see what are your teachers' favorite things!