As summer vacation winds down and fall activities begin, the ‘traditional’ back to school newsletter gets polished with new information and sent to families.  Of course, the key word ‘traditional’ is definitely not our reality.  Therefore, we are going to take a different approach to communicating back to school information.  As opposed to a lengthy singular newsletter, we are going to post weekly or bi-weekly information in small doses as we get closer to the start of school.  This first message is going to have very little substance.  Its only intent is to give insight on what to expect in the coming days.  In regards to timing and frequency of messaging, the following logic will be used:

1. Information which requires time for planning for students/families will be sent early

2. Information which is fluid and has high possibility of change will be sent as late as feasible.

3. Information will gain a greater amount of specificity as the August 31^st date approaches.

We are aware that using this approach will generate some ‘what/if’ questions.  As an example… ‘The first day of school for students in now August 31^st.’  That singular statement may generate questions like “What do we do if my child is doing distance learning”, “What do we do if my child is currently being quarantined because they were identified as a close contact”, etc.  Our hope is that by using this approach and starting with generic and working towards specific we will be able use these clarifying questions to generate the focus of future communication. 

With that said, as we look to next week, the following ‘events’ are happening for current and new students.  If your student needs to meet with their counselors to make a modification to their current schedule, the following dates and times have been set aside.

SENIORS August 11 9:00 - 11:30 a.m.

JUNIORS August 11 1:00 – 3 :30 p.m.

SOPHOMORES August 12 9:00 - 11:30 a.m.

FRESHMEN August 12 1:00 - 3:30 p.m.. 

If you are in incoming freshman or a new student to the school, an orientation will take place on the following dates and times:

Last name begins with letter A-E Monday, August 10 7:00 pm

Last name begins with letter F-K Tuesday, August 11 7:00 pm

Last name begins with letter L-R Wednesday, August 12 7:00 pm

Last name begins with letter S-Z Thursday, August 13 7:00 pm

In closing, enjoy your weekend and be on the lookout for future communication.  #rollPats

CHS Administration  

To:                  Freshmen, Transfer Students and Parents        

Re:                  New Student Back to School Event

Location:         Linette Olson Gymnasium

We are pleased that you will become a part of Century High School this year!  To ease this transition, we invite you to join a cohort of your classmates at our back to school event.  Typically, this is a large venue event for all students on the same evening.  However, due to capacity restrictions, we will be splitting this event into four groupings as identified below:

Last name begins with letter A-E           Monday, August 10       7:00 pm

Last name begins with letter F-K           Tuesday, August 11       7:00 pm

Last name begins with letter L-R           Wednesday, August 12  7:00 pm

Last name begins with letter S-Z           Thursday, August 13     7:00 pm

When you arrive, you will enter Door 23.  This door is the main entrance to the Olson Gymnasium which is on the northwest side of our campus.  The evening will begin with a short presentation as an overview of the typical school day and a preview of items which are most important for a freshman student to understand.  After the presentation, we will invite students and parents to walk through their daily schedule.  Your counselor and administration will be available as well to answer additional questions you may have.    

Although there is an equitable distribution of group size based on last name, the evening listed may not work for your family.  We do have the ability to have 90 families in groupings of 3 while practicing 6 ft. social distancing in our gymnasium.  Therefore, we do have a little wiggle room for families to choose a different evening.  Also, for families who are planning to do distance ed or are not comfortable coming to the building for the presentation, we will record one of the sessions and upload it to our website to stream at your convenience.

During your time in the building, we ask that you are aware of your surroundings and proximity to others.  Again, we will have socially distanced seating for the presentation but when families follow schedules, many pods of people will be going multiple directions (much like a grocery store…).  For this reason, we would ask you to wear a mask if you enter an area of the building where proper distancing cannot be achieved (these areas will be discussed in the presentation). 

In closing, we look forward to you continuing your educational journey at Century High School.  This year will resemble a year like no other as we continue to work through the COVID-19 pandemic in our community.  Nonetheless, we look forward seeing you and working through this together. 

Sincerely,

Steve Madler -- CHS Principal

CHS Schedules were emailed out on 8/3/20. If you did not receive your student's schedule, please contact the CHS office at 323.4900 to update email information. Information regarding schedule changes is below...

Greetings!  We hope your summer has been both relaxing and invigorating.  Your class schedule for the 2020-21 school year is attached to this email.  Your lunch number (student ID) is the password needed to open the file.  Please review it carefully to ensure there are no errors and you have your required minimums.  If a schedule adjustment is necessary, do know we will expect you to abide by distancing guidelines and wear a mask while waiting in line and throughout the duration of your schedule change.  Lines will be organized by counselor and spacing will be 6 feet apart as marked.  You will enter Door 23(main entrance to Olson Gym) and proceed to the Commons.  Schedule dates/times are as follows:

SENIORS                                             August 11                             9:00 - 11:30 a.m.

JUNIORS                                              August 11                            1:00 – 3 :30 p.m.

SOPHOMORES                                      August 12                            9:00 - 11:30 a.m.             

FRESHMEN                                          August 12                             1:00 - 3:30 p.m.

No schedule changes will be permitted earlier than the above days scheduled for your class.   Students must complete the  Century High School Schedule Change Request Form prior to meeting with a counselor or administrator. A parent signature is required.

One of the biggest things to be aware of prior to coming for a schedule adjustment is the limited opportunity to move your classes to different periods.  Given our size (roughly 1400 students, 19,000 course requests, 85 teachers, 750 sections of different classes, 8 period day) it is quite the challenge to coordinate all requests and balance class sizes throughout the day.  When we achieve balance and a high rate of request satisfaction, most classes are at capacity and cannot accept more students.  Subsequently, moving the same class to different times in the day is limited and rarely happens.

As a reminder of required minimums, seniors must be enrolled in at least five (5) periods of class each semester, juniors and sophomores must be enrolled in at least six (6) periods of class each semester, and freshman must be enrolled in at least seven (7) periods of class each semester.  Also, as an educational institution our primary focus is on academic opportunity and achievement.  For this reason, only those schedule adjustments that are absolutely necessary will be accommodated.   Schedule changes will not be made due to a preference of off periods, lunch times, or to be in classes with other peers.

Students on IEP’s only:  If you are assigned a course titled Applied Topics, the assignment was based on a specific intervention your child receives during the school year and the class is specific to each class period.  If you have concerns or would like a change made to a class schedule that includes an Applied Topics class, please contact your case manager.

Of final note, if you are not available during these times or you are uncomfortable coming to the building and prefer a virtual schedule change, please reach out to your counselor to schedule a time after the dates listed above.

My Payments Plus will be open to make purchases on parking permits, planners, lunch fees, activity fees, activity passes, fine art fees, etc starting on Monday, August 3, 2020. Please login or register at www.mypaymentsplus.com. 

• 2020-2021 Athletic Registration will open July 1.  As of this date, you will be able to register your student for next year's activities.  As always, please remember to register them for all activities you believe they may participate in.  This will keep you from having to go back into the system later in the year.
• A part of athletic registtation, you must have a copy of either:
  • Your student;s physical dated after April 15 of this year.
  • NDHSAA Form B (this is used if your student had a physical during the previous school year).  Please note, all 7th graders must have a new physical from this year (after April 15).
• Either document should be in a digital format so you can upload it as a part of the registration process.
• The athletic registration sire DOES NOT take or track payments.  Please disregard any information you see on that sire regarding payment.  To make a payment for an activity fee, please use MyPayments Plus.
• If you run into any problems with a username or password, please contact Mr. Lervick.
• 2020-2021 Activity Fees - Activity fees are able to be paid through MyPayments Plus online beginning August 10th or in the school office.  Students attending a BPS school will be able to pay through MPP while any students participating through a co-op will need to pay in the school office.

Masks are required. Cloth masks are recommended. Masks should be washed daily. Here is the CDC guidance on washing masks: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wash-cloth-face-coverings.html. BPS recommends all students in grades K-12 have a backpack with a padded compartment or a padded Neoprene sleeve (14 inch) to carry their Chromebook/laptop back and forth to school this year, if needed. We also suggest that students have their own earbuds or headphones that include the built-in microphone.

High Schools don't have school supply lists. On the first day, students should bring notebooks, pens, and pencils. Each teacher will tell the students if they need something specific for that class.

Head Start is now accepting applications for the 2020-2021 school year. Applications can be found at https://nd02203833.schoolwires.net/Page/2616 or call BECEP at 701-323-4400 to request an application be mailed to you. There is a black drop-box to the right of BECEP’s front door to return applications and required documents. BECEP is located at 720 North 14^th Street.

The Bismarck School Board will meet at 5:15 pm at the City-County Building at 221 N. 5th Street. The public is invited to attend the meeting or watch it LIVE on cable channel 2.

We are sorry for any confusion relating to the Bismarck Public School Band Camp but the district has decided to cancel the upcoming band camp scheduled for August 10th through the 20th.   With limited time to put all necessary safety procedures and protocols in place as stated in the recently approved re-entry plan students will instead begin learning to play their instrument at their middle school when the school year begins.  Thank you for your patience and understanding in this process.  Please contact Dr. Shawn Oban at 701-323-4201 with any questions.

Dr. Shawn Oban
Myhre Principal
Fine Arts

Mark your calendars for Fill the Bus on Thursday, Aug. 20, 6 am-6 pm, at the Red Carpet Car Washes by Century High School or on Washington Street & Expressway. Drop off new school supplies or monetary donations to buy supplies for kids in need! If you bring us supplies, Red Carpet Car Wash will give you 9.3 cents off per gallon for your fill-up that day! You can also donate ONLINE by clicking here and scrollinig down to choose Fill the Bus: https://www.bpsfoundation.com/donate/

For each schools lists, go to the school's homepage, click the Resources tab, then School Supply List.

Parents who are in need of school supplies for their children should contact their children’s schools in mid-August with the grade levels of each child and when they can pick up the materials, which will typically be on the first day of school.

We are asking for donations of diapers, wipes, tampons, and feminine pads. These donations will help serve children 0-18 that receive support from the BPS Students in Transition program, BECEP, South Central High School, all BPS social workers working with families in need, Healthy Families of Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota, and the Adopt-A-Block program.

We have seen an evident need to help people in our community with basic items such as diapers, wipes, and feminine hygiene products. This underlying need in our community is now exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting rising unemployment. WIC and SNAP benefits help with food, but do not help with these items or other personal hygiene items for children and families in our community. A group of organizations along with faith leaders are working with families and have come together with the goal of meeting the current above-mentioned needs and building relationships between churches and organizations to continue and increase the scope of support into the future.

Our first goal is to collect and build resources so the above organizations can distribute to families in need. Donations can be dropped off at:

Century Baptist Church (205 Colt Dr.) Monday & Thursday 11:00 am-1:00 pm.

Evangel Church (3225 N 14th St.) Wednesday 12:00-1:00 pm.

J&R Vacuum (223 E Main Ave) Monday-Friday 9:00 am-6:00 pm. Drop off at loading dock and call 258-5619 at time of delivery.

To have donations picked up, call Becky Matthews at 701-220-5271. To learn more about the Needs Nook, contact her at rebecca239@bis.midco.net or 701-220-5271.