Dear Centennial High School Community,

As we wind down the opening days of the 2023/24 school year, much has already happened.  Our Meet the Teacher event last night was extremely well-attended and the feedback from parents, guardians, and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive.  Thank you to all of you who attended.  Our Fall sports teams have either started their seasons or will do so soon, and we are back to the business of teaching and learning.  Please read on for some very important updates and information.

Important Fine & Performing Arts Leadership Meeting (for Grades 11 & 12 Students)

Have you ever wondered how you can celebrate your love of the arts with like-minded students at Centennial High School?  Do you love the arts and want to learn about being artistic beyond high school?  Grade 12 students with 30 or more credits in arts courses can benefit from this independent learning course.  All assignments are completed on D2L, and 3 credits are awarded to students who complete the course.  This year our focus will be on building the Centennial community in the arts and creating a showcase of our work in May.  Next year our focus will be to celebrate and appreciate the arts on a large-scale trip.  Grade 11 students are welcome to audit the course this year and receive credits next year.  To learn more, please attend a meeting Wednesday, September 13 at lunch in the Music Room! 

Assessment & Academic Integrity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Over a student's educational journey, there will be many times where the topic of academic honesty is brought up.  In these conversations, importance is placed on students submitting work that has been completed by the student, along with acknowledgments to outside supports and information sources.

 As technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, we are working with students to support learning in an environment that cultivates curiosity, authentic understanding and critical thinking.  Most of us have heard about artificial intelligence (AI), chatbots and specifically, a new tool called ChatGPT.  These are emerging and quickly evolving technologies that have the capability to mimic human intelligence.  We are in the process of working with students to build a common understanding of AI’s legitimate uses and limitations in education, and focusing on how it can be used ethically while upholding the foundation of academic integrity.

As educators, we support the use of assistive tools to enhance learning, but not to replace it.  Students are tasked with learning a range of skills and knowledge-based Outcomes prescribed by the Alberta Education Program of Studies.  Teachers must, in turn, accurately assess each student’s individual and authentic understanding of those Outcomes. 

To this end, teachers will clearly identify when the use of technology such as AI and other applications is not permitted.  If a student's submitted work is flagged using school board approved AI detection software (implying that it may not be the student's original work), additional information or steps will be required to ensure fair and accurate assessment. 

The following strategies will be used depending on the situation: 

•  The teacher will ask the student to resubmit the assignment using their own ideas and words, citing the work of others where appropriate.  A note will be logged into PowerSchool. 

•  The student will be required to demonstrate their understanding of the Outcome under direct teacher supervision.  In this case, information will be communicated to the student and parent/guardian.

•  If teachers are unable to accurately assess the student’s knowledge and understanding because requests to gather additional evidence of student learning were not successful, it may impact the overall assessment of curricular outcomes. 

•  The student will be referred to administration for further support as needed.

Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any questions regarding this.  We thank you for your support as partners in education.

School Council & Parent Society – Thank You and First Meeting

A number of people met with our School Council and Parent Society Chair Jennifer Eriksson during our Meet the Teacher event, expressing interest in getting involved with these important organizations.  If any parents or guardians are interested in connecting with Jennifer about School Council/Parent Society and all that they entail, please email me at jisturgeon@cbe.ab.ca and I will connect you with Jennifer.  Our first School Council Meeting of the year will be at 7:00pm Wednesday, September 27.  I believe we will hold this first meeting in person at Centennial High School – we will confirm this in advance of September 27.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.