CHS Updates

The Washington Post's annual "High School Challenge"

WHEN IT COMES TO ranking the nation's most challenging high schools (click here for Post article), Centennial High School comes in at #422 out of 1,898 schools surveyed nationwide, and 51st out of 177 Washington, D.C.-area schools surveyed.

HCPSS provides this quick glance at the county's 12 public high schools:

 

HIGH SCHOOL	NATIONAL RANKING	REGIONAL RANKING
River Hill	247	33
Centennial	422	51
Howard	656	73
Mt. Hebron	935	96
Glenelg	970	99
Atholton	982	100
Marriotts Ridge	985	101
Reservoir	1,102	110
Wilde Lake	1,606	136
Long Reach	1,713	143
Hammond	1,752	148
Oakland Mills	1,777	153

Click here to read the letter sent to all principals whose high schools participated in the "Challenge" survey.

HIGH SCHOOL	NATIONAL RANKING	REGIONAL RANKING
River Hill	247	33
Centennial	422	51
Howard	656	73
Mt. Hebron	935	96
Glenelg	970	99
Atholton	982	100
Marriotts Ridge	985	101
Reservoir	1,102	110
Wilde Lake	1,606	136
Long Reach	1,713	143
Hammond	1,752	148
Oakland Mills	1,777	153

Click here to read the letter sent to all principals whose high schools participated in the "Challenge" survey.

Parent volunteers needed for Financial Literacy simulation exercise

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 7: 15 - 9:15 AM  and/or 1:15 - 2:15 PM -- Cafeteria. In keeping with the requirements of the  school system's Financial Literacy Instructional Program, Centennial High School will host a Financial Literacy Simulation Exercise designed to enhance students' understanding of financial concepts -- including the process of developing a personal or household budget. The event will be sponsored in part by Junior Achievement (JA) of Central Maryland. 

Armed with personal "budgets," students in Government classes will visit various financial "stations" set up in the Cafeteria and will "pay" for certain essential services, i.e. housing, automobile insurance, utilities, etc. Students will learn how to manage -- and stay within -- their budgets in order to obtain these necessary services.

Parents and guardians, can you come to CHS to help with this event for one or two  hours in the morning, and/or for one hour  in the afternoon, next Thursday (May 17)?

If you can help, or have questions, please contact Mrs. Flo Airey, Principal's Secretary, at Florence_Airey@hcpss.com, or 410/313-2856.

Reminder: PICKATIME appointment scheduling service

. . . for next week's Parent-Teacher Conferences will be operational at 7 AM TOMORROW. Information is HERE.

Correction: PickATime for Spring 2012 Parent-Teacher Conferences

SPRING 2012  Parent-Teacher Conference appointments take place:

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15      5:30 - 8:30 PM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16          5:30 - 8:30 PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17                 5:30 - 8:30 PM
                                                           7:30 AM - 2:30 PM *

* Quicknotes regrets this error in the JANUARY 25 issue.

CLICK HERE for information about when, where and how to use PICKATIME to schedule appointments for Parent-Teacher Conferences.

From CHS Administration: PickATime for Parent-Teacher Conferences

Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15     5:30 - 8:30 PM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16         5:30 - 8:30 PM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17                  7:30 AM - 8:30 PM  2:30 PM

THE PICKATIME online appointment-scheduling service for Parent-Teacher Conferences will become ACTIVE at 7 AM on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7; Pick-a-Time service will be available 'round-the-clock until it goes OFFLINE at MIDNIGHT on FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10.

The PickATime link can be found on the CHS website (www.centennialeagles.org) [in the red sidebar menu on the left] and on the HCPSS website (www.hcpss.org) [with instructions for using  PickATime there also]. The CHS Front Office asks

You'll need to have STUDENT ID NUMBERS handy to use PickATimetime. Student ID Numbers are printed on Interim Report Cards and on Report Cards. PLEASE NOTE: For security reasons, Student ID Numbers cannot be given out over the telephone.

Problems with PickATime?  CHS Administration asks you to call the Front Office,  410/313-2856.

Feedback requested re HCPSS Family Portal, ASPEN Teacher Gradebook

Dear HCPSS Parents, Teachers and Students,

It’s been several months since the school system launched the Aspen Gradebook for secondary teachers and the HCPSS Family Portal for secondary school students and their families. In the spirit of continuous improvement, we’re asking parents, teachers and students to complete a brief survey about their experience with the Family Portal or Aspen Gradebook. Your responses are completely confidential. Thank you for helping us enhance home-school communication. To access the survey, please click on this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HCPSSParentPortal.

The HCPSS Public Information Office

From the CHS Business & Computer Management Systems Department

Computer Skills for academic success

CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL offers a computer course --  SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS I, a computer course which helps students build software skills so that they can work faster and smarter in high school, college and the business world. The course provides hands-on instruction in components of  the Microsoft Office 2010 Suite (Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word).

ARE YOU CURIOUS to know just how familiar your student is with Word and Excel? Try our ONLINE TEST: Click on THIS LINK, provide contact information, and you'll be e-mailed the test link and login information. For more information about Software Applications I, contact CHS Business & Computer Management Systems Instructor Mrs. Janice Keller (Janice_Keller@hcpss.org).

Honors-level Business Courses

THE HIGH SCHOOL offers sequential Accounting and Marketing Honors courses:

ACCOUNTING I             PRINCIPALS OF MARKETING
ACCOUNTING II           ADVANCED MARKETING

The curriculum for these courses aligns with the College Board’s CLEP exams for Financial Accounting and Principles of Marketing. Students completing these course sequences may receive advanced standing or college credit based upon their CLEP scores (check with prospective colleges). E-mail CHS Business & Computer Management Systems Instructional Team Leader Kristin Taylor (Kristin_Taylor@hcpss.org) for more information about these Honors Business courses.

Get ready for the SAT with Dr. Martha Gagnon's SAT-PSAT prep course

Class dates:      TUESDAY, February 28      7 - 9:15 PM
                         THURSDAY, March 1               Classrooms
                                 TUESDAY, March 6                         401 & 402 
                                 THURSDAY, March 8                           at CHS

DR. MARTHA GAGNON'S SAT-PSAT PREP COURSE supplements the school's curriculum and helps students prepare for -- and improve scores for -- these important examinations*.  Her prep course provides:

• strategies to sharpen test-taking skills
• tips for answering each type of test question
• mathematics review
• vocabulary development
• essay writing
• ways to build, reinforce test-taking confidence

FEE: $225    Includes tuition, course materials and
                            $25 non-refundable registration fee

TO REGISTER: Visit www.marthagagnon.com.
                                      Register early -- these classes fill up fast!

QUESTIONS?           Please contact Dr. Gagnon
                                      E-mail:           MartGagnon@aol.com
                                      Telephone:  410/442.1600

                                      CLICK HERE  for additional details.

*  SAT EXAM DATES (Saturdays)
    JANUARY 28                    MAY 5
    MARCH 10                         JUNE 2

Dr. Gagnon's SAT-PSAT courses are sponsored by, and in turn support,
the Centennial High School PTSA.

Black Student Achievement Program (BSAP) Saturday Math Academy Spring registration

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 9 - 11 AM -- Oakland Mills High School, Columbia. All Information in THIS FLIER.

It's time to think about purchasing Advanced Placement (AP) study guides

ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) EXAMS will be held the weeks of  MAY 7 - 11 and MAY 14 - 18. 

When purchasing AP study guides, -- do please consider using   the PTSA's   amazon   portal  -- just click HERE.  Every time you use the PTSA's amazon portal, our non-profit organization receives a much-needed donation. Thank you!

Click HERE for a list of AP STUDY GUIDES recommended by some of Centennial High School's Advanced Placement teachers.