Fulton Flier
Week of December 14th
We hope that you had a enjoyable weekend with your family!
Last week our Bully Busters (e.g., school counselors and school psychologists) presented at our PTA meeting on Supporting Your Child's Social Emotional Wellbeing. If you were unable to join, please view the powerpoint here and reach out to Mrs. Wilson-Carr, Mrs. Shields, Mrs. Brickley or Mr. Dunagan if you have any questions.
As an FES staff, we are committed to partnering with you throughout your child's educational journey to ensure your child achieves his/her fullest potential. An essential component of our partnership is empowering you with a wide variety of topics to support the academic, social and emotional development of your child. Please complete this short survey to help us plan sessions that would be most beneficial to you.
Please join me in welcoming our New Board of Education members, Dr. Yun Lu, Ms. Jolene Mosley and Ms. Antonia Bakery Watts. Ms. Christina Delmont-Smalls was re-elected as well as Ms. Jennifer Mallo who will be serving as the Vice Chair. Dr. Chao Wu was selected as the Chair. Dr. Wu and Ms. Vicky Cutroneo were not up for re-election this fall and remain serving on the board. Ms. Jolene Mosely will be serving the Hammond/Reservoir cluster. You can learn more about each of our BOE members via this link.
Warmly,
Dr. Burks
Falcon Gazette: Issue 3
PTA's successful food drive!
A special thank you to teachers Jenn Coletta and Jill O’Brien and parent Suman Duvedi for being the best volunteers. Thank you to all of our students and families who donated as well as our PTA for organizing this!
A Message from our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
This is the season when people of all faiths and cultures are pushing back against the planetary darkness. We string bulbs, ignite bonfires, and light candles. And we sing.
- Anita Diamant
Our school community is rich in many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Our knowledge about other cultures, languages, and traditions is extremely important to foster understanding and mutual respect.
During this time of the year, our Fulton families celebrate a variety of different traditions. As a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, we have created slide shows that you can share with your child at home or use as a starting point to teach your child about different holidays. Once you click on the powerpoint link below, be sure to move into "present" mode. Once you are presenting, you can click on the different objects on the slide to take you to videos, arts and crafts, recipes and much more. Enjoy!
December Holiday Slides RECC- 3rd Grade
December Holiday Slides 4th & 5th Grade
Here are some other resources that you may want to review.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Caitlyn Gudenius @ caitlyn_gudenius@hcpss.org.
Upcoming Workshop for Parents: Worries, Concerns and Apprehensions
This Wednesday December 16, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m The Family Institute will host a free online workshop for parents to help children learn positive ways on how to cope during these difficult times.
In the early years, schoolwork, friends, reactions to negative experiences, or just the anticipation of something happening can overwhelm a child. In addition, the changes, stress and uncertainty of COVID has increased children's worries. Many parents report about the anxiety that affects children and the entire family.
Attend this workshop to:
- Review the signs and the symptoms of worry in children.
- Understand how to identify what is causing your child stress.
- Learn techniques to teach and demonstrate strategies to help your child process and work through their worries.
Free Online Workshop, Register here
Supporting Your Children and Teens this Winter Season
The holiday season is upon us. Families are dealing with stress from multiple sources, including COVID-19, and may not be able to celebrate the holidays as usual. Although parents/caregivers may feel the need to do more to “makeup” for such a difficult year, remember, more is not always better. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network shares strategies for supporting children this holiday season.
Sharing Student Mental Health Supports: Please find resources for mental health and wellness information and supports that are included on the HCPSS website.
HCPSS COVID-19 Dashboard
Howard Community College Kids on Campus
A limited number of scholarships are available for families who need financial aid. If you believe you may be eligible for financial aid, please complete this application and submit it via email to NoncreditFinAid@howardcc.edu as soon as possible and submit it via email to NoncreditFinAid@howardcc.edu as soon as possible.
Elementary Student Workload during Virtual Instruction- UPDATE
Last week, we shared the message below regarding the Elementary Student Workload during Virtual Instruction. We wanted to provide some clarity around the Related Arts asynchronous assignments. Our Related Arts teachers are actively working to reduce the number of buttons a student has to click in order to navigate their asynchronous assignment. Our goal is through these efforts, students will be able to more independently access the asynchronous assignment. If you have questions about your child's Related Arts assignment, please don't hesitate to reach out to their Related Arts teacher.
Families, particularly of primary students, have expressed concerns about the virtual elementary workload including the complexity of asynchronous lessons, the number of content areas taught, and the number of weekly asynchronous assignments. In order to support elementary students with successfully navigating during virtual instruction, the following adjustments have been made:
- Students will only have asynchronous assignments in social studies, science, or health during a given week. There will not be an overlap of instruction or assignments for these content areas.
- Health lessons will be taught for one week during the marking period and include two synchronous lessons and two asynchronous lessons instead of five asynchronous lessons as assigned in the first quarter.
- The length and complexity of social studies, science, and health asynchronous assignments have been reduced.
- Related arts asynchronous assignments have been streamlined.
Winter Wonderland Trivia Night
Does your child want to test out their math and science knowledge and possibly win a prize? Join the Atholton STEM Advisory Committee’s Winter Wonderland Trivia Night on Friday, December 18th, from 6-7 PM (open to all ages). To join, use this Zoom link: https://hcpss.zoom.us/j/95652906134.
In Honor of Minaal
Recently we came together as a community to grieve the loss of one of our first grade students, Minaal Ahmed. We have been working with Minaal's family to honor her in a special way.In honor of Minaal Ahmed, please consider making a donation to the John Hopkins Children's Center, which is an organization close to the Ahmed's hearts.
If you would like to consider a contribution in Minaal's memory, visit https://secure.jhu.edu/form/children and choose “Child Life” in the list of designation options. All contributions made through this site are tax deductible, as allowable by law. In the comments section, please write “On behalf of Fulton Elementary School” or "In memory of Minaal Ahmed."
To donate gifts for the children at JHCC, individuals can purchase them through http://www.myregistry.com/organization/johns-hopkins-children-s-center-baltimore-md/2602166 or purchase any of the items on the attached Wish List , and ship them to:
Brian Parkinson, Child Life Department
Johns Hopkins Children’s Center
1800 Orleans Street, Suite 7217
Baltimore, MD 21287
Countdown to Winter Break!
Our PTA will be hosing a fundraiser this Wednesday between 6:00am-10:00pm. Be sure to mention FES when driving though!
In January, our PTA will be hosing a martial arts fundraiser. Mark your calendars nows!
1/9: American Academy of Martial Arts
K-2: 10-11am
3-5: 11:15am-12:15pm
Dates to Remember
December 14th: Countdown to Winter Break: List all the songs you find with the words: snow, winter, cold, or ice
December 15th: Countdown to Winter Break:Make a snowperson
December 16th: Countdown to Winter Break:Take a picture of every letter in the alphabet around your neighborhood; PTA Spirit Day @ ChikFila (Please mention FES when ordering)
December 17th:Countdown to Winter Break: Color a picture for a friend
December 18th: Countdown to Winter Break: Make an art project from Art for Kids Hub
December 21st: Countdown to Winter Break: GoNoodle
December 22nd: Countdown to Winter Break:Five Senses Scavenger Hunt
December 24th-December 31st: Winter Break
Worth Repeating
Instruction the Week of December 21
Students will have synchronous related arts as scheduled but no asynchronous related arts assignments. Likewise, synchronous social studies instruction will occur on Monday, December 21 for grades K, 2, and 4 and on Tuesday, December 22 for grades 1, 3, and 5; however, there will not be social studies asynchronous follow up lessons.
HCPSS 2020-2021 Inclement Weather Protocols
New inclement weather protocols were shared with staff and the community for the 2020-2021 school year while in virtual, small groups or hybrid instructional models. More information about the four possible inclement weather decisions are provided on the HCPSS website.
Fulton Elementary School
Molly Caroland, Assistant Principal
Leslie Brickner, Assistant Principal
Email: tanisha_burks@hcpss.org
Website: fes.hcpss.org/
Location: 11600 Scaggsville Road, Fulton, MD, USA
Phone: 410-880-5957
Twitter: @hcpss_fes