Dear Centennial High School Community,

As you are likely aware, today marks the beginning of Truth and Reconciliation Week.  This Thursday, September 26 is Orange Shirt Day at Centennial.  We hope to see Coyote students and staff wearing orange on Thursday, as a symbol of our individual and collective intent to continue to commit to reconciliation through education.  I encourage you to visit this website, where you can find a great deal of information and many resources related to Truth and Reconciliation: https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/.

Please read below for a number of important updates.

Welcome Spanish Exchange Students!

• Today is the first day at Centennial for 6 Spanish exchange students (5 from Spain and 1 from Mexico)
• We have already met a few of our guests in the Main Office this morning, and they are exceptionally excited to be in Canada and to be attending Centennial
• Our guests will be with us for 10 weeks; in exchange our 6 students will travel abroad in February
• Thank you to our Centennial exchange students and their families for hosting this opportunity for these students!
• A huge thanks to Ms. Babin for introducing and coordinating student exchanges at Centennial; her work creates incredible opportunities and experiences for our students, our guests, and our larger school community

Truth & Reconciliation

• September 23 – 27 is Truth & Reconciliation Week
• Thursday, September 26: Orange Shirt Day
• Monday, September 30: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (School Closed)
• https://trw-svr.nctr.ca/

Parent/Guardian Presentation on Youth Mental Health – Thursday at 7pm

• Please join us in the Centennial Theatre on Thursday, September 26 (7:00 – 8:30pm)
• Guest speaker Shelly Qualtieri will share a meaningful and helpful presentation on mental illness and mental health, with a focus on the unique challenges teens face today
• Shelly will discuss key statistics and factors influencing mental health, as well as provide in-depth insights into conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, eating disorders, and suicide
• Participants will learn how to identify signs of these issues, respond, and access appropriate support systems
• Thank you Centennial High School Parent Society for arranging this opportunity for parents/guardians

School Council Appreciation

I would like to thank the members of our School Council and Parent Society.  Over the past few years we have seen increasing turnout at our monthly meetings, with more and more parent/guardian voice contributing to enhancing our school community.  Thank you especially to our Executive:

• Jennifer Eriksson – Chair
• Melinda Gombert – Vice Chair
• Courtney Heppner – Secretary

Also, our Parent Society is in need of a Treasurer for the Fundraising Society – please let me know if you are interested (jisturgeon@cbe.ab.ca) and I will connect you with Jennifer.

Thank you for reading, and have a great week.

Joe Sturgeon

Principal, Centennial High School