Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
April 26, 2019 - Volume 40, Issue 29
Clemens Crossing Elementary School
Sonia Hurd, Assistant Principal
Website: cces.hcpss.org
Location: 10320 Quarterstaff Road, Columbia, MD, United States
Phone: 410-313-6866
Facebook: facebook.com/ClemensCrossingElementary
Twitter: @hcpss_cces
Upcoming Events
April
- 26 - PTA Talent Show (NEW DATE! Moved from the end of March) - 7:00 p.m.
- 27 - Barnes & Nobel Day (Long Gate Parkway), 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- 29 - Screen-Free Week begins
May
- 1 - Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month Starts
- 1 - Chick-fil-A PTA Restaurant Night (All Day)
- 6 thru 10 - Teacher Appreciation Week
- 6 - Fourth Grade Days of Taste Farm Field Trip (part 1)
- 8 - Fourth Grade Days of Taste In-School Presentation (part 2)
- 9 - Kindergarten Field Trip to Baltimore's B&O Museum
- 11 - PTA sponsored DIY Wood Pallet Paint Night Fundraiser, 6:45 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
(NEW DATE moved from 3/29) - 14 - Spring Chorus Concert, 7:00 p.m.
- 15 - Schoolwide Showcase (GT Enrichment Fair, Science Fair, Classroom Displays) 6:30 p.m.
- 16 - Interim Reports Issued
- 17 - Professional Learning/Articulation Day - School Closes 3-Hours Early, 12:45 p.m.
- 17 - Kindergarten Preview Day 2:00 p.m.
- 17 - PTA Spring Carnival (May 24 - rain date) - 5:00 p.m.
- 21 - Fifth Grade visits Wilde Lake Middle School, 9:15 a.m.
- 22 - String Concert, 6:30 p.m. -and- Band Concert, 7:30 p.m.
- 23 - Field Day (May 24 - rain date)
- 27 - Memorial Day - Schools and Offices Closed
- 29 - In-School Banking
June - Adjusted Final Days of School
- 3 - Fifth Grade Simulated Congressional Hearings
- 4 - Early Dismissal 12:45 p.m. - Professional Work Day
- 5 - Career Day (Grades 3-5) Morning Only
- 10 - Volunteer Appreciation Celebration, 2:30 p.m.
- 17 - Full Day of School
- 18 - Full Day of School
- 18 - 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony, 9:30 a.m. - Just added
- 19 - School Closes 3-Hours Early, 12:45 p.m.
- 20 - School Closes 3-Hours Early, 12:45 p.m.
- 21- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL: School Closes 3-Hours Early, 12:45 p.m.
For a complete list of dates and events visit cces.hcpss.org/calendar.
To subscribe to the CCES calendar on your smartphone, electronic device, or email system click the +Google Calendar icon in the bottom right-hand corner to add our calendar to your personal device. By subscribing to the calendar, school events and activities will always be up-to-date.
From School Administration
As the fourth quarter continues, the Clemens Crossing staff is looking ahead to the 2019-20 School Year. As part of this process, we would like to give you the opportunity to share some information that you would like for us to consider as we begin to make class groupings for the next school year. This consideration form is for you, as parents, to relate specific information about your child that you feel would be beneficial as our teachers meet to determine next year's placement.
When placing students, the staff, and administration utilize a wide range of criteria which are supportive of the Howard County philosophy of heterogeneous grouping. Some of these criteria include, but are not limited to:
- the personality of the child
- the balance of female and male students
- math strengths and needs
- written output
- test results
- reading strengths and needs
- special education requirements; IEP goals
- structured versus non-structured needs
- information from previous teachers and school counselor
There are certain concerns that we cannot consider as part of this Consideration Form, therefore, we ask that you not use this form to propose the following:
- specific teacher requests
- grouping based on siblings’ experience
- grouping based on friends
- grouping based on hearsay
Your input on this form will be used in our planning for your child rather than a letter requesting a specific teacher. Your response is OPTIONAL but is a very valuable source of information to the school staff and to the next teacher.
The form is embedded in this newsletter program below. If you cannot see the form below, you may need to use a computer.
The form closes on May 17th. Thank you for your help at this busy time of year.
June 21 is the Last Day of 2018-19 School Year
The Maryland State Department of Education today approved HCPSS’ request for a waiver of one school day. As a result, the last day of school for students is Friday, June 21.
The final, updated calendar for the 2018-2019 school year includes:
- Tuesday, June 18 - Last Full Day
- Wednesday, June 19 - Half Day - School dismisses at 12:45 pm
- Thursday, June 20 - Half Day - School dismisses at 12:45 pm
- Friday, June 21 - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL and Half Day - School dismisses at 12:45 pm
HCPSS requested the waiver because all four days reserved for inclement weather make-up days were used, plus one additional day. Maryland state law requires schools to be in session for a minimum of 180 days each year and waivers to this requirement must be approved by the Maryland State Board.
The current HCPSS calendar is available online.
Are You Moving?
If you have moved or are moving soon, please notify us as soon as possible.
We are available to assist you with transitioning to your child's new school. Whether it be another HCPSS school, private school, or to a school out of the HCPSS district, we are here to help. If you are transferring to another HCPSS school, our registrars will partner to make the transition as smooth as possible.
If you have an address change, bring your new residency documents to the front office and we will update your address in the system. If you have any questions, call Jennifer Aballo, our Registrar.
2019-2020 CCES and HCPSS Calendar
Congratulations CCES Battle of the Books Teams
This year, Clemens Crossing had 7 Battle of the Books groups compete at the Long Reach High School site along with groups from other schools from around Howard County. The evening was full of great spirit and excitement!
A special thank you goes out to all of the parents who coached each of our 7 groups. Your help and support made this such an incredible experience for our students.
Finally, a huge thank you goes out to Mrs. Marshall for helping in so many ways. Her encouragement helps foster a lifelong love of reading and literature!
More About Battle of the Books
One of the most exciting components of A+ Partners in Education's Battle of the Books is getting Fifth-Grade students excited about reading. A lively academic competition, Battle of the Books improves reading comprehension, builds vocabulary, and teaches teamwork and good sportsmanship. The 2019 competition ran concurrently at five area high schools.
Teams of five students and one adult coach each read the same pre-assigned books over four months. Selected by HCLS instructors and HCPSS media specialists, titles include a wide range of reading levels and subjects. Thanks to generous sponsors, all teams receive a set of books. In addition to reading the books, teams choose a team name then dress accordingly.
During the “battle” (a 50-question exam), a moderator asks questions that relate to one of the following: a direct quote from one of the book characters, a statement about something that happens in the book, a passage taken directly from the book, and details about an illustration or picture.
We included some of our team pictures below. You can also view close to 500 pictures from the Battle of the Books through the Howard County Public Library's Flicker page.
Brainstormers
Coach: Mrs. Edelen
The Bookicorns
Coaches: Mrs. Thompson and Mrs. Kilroy
Vampire Verbs
Coach: Mrs. Aumiller
Book Worm Warriors
Coaches: Mr. and Mrs. Boyle
The Wild Readers
Coaches: Mrs. Stoll and Mrs. Gilbertson
Diary of a BOB Team
Coaches: Mrs. Hamilton and Mrs. Patkus
The Brainy Bunch
Coaches: Chir
Screen Free Week - April 29-May 5, 2019*
Please find 101 Screen-Free activities and an activity log below. If you participate in the Screen-Free Week, complete the activity log and turn it into your teacher to get a ROARing event.
*except for work and school assignments
Career Day 2019 – Volunteers needed!
Clemens Crossing Career Day is Wednesday, June 5, 2019. Would you like to spark an interest in the next generation? Do you have a job that you like to talk about? Can you spare an hour or two? We invite you to be part of this exciting day! We are in need of parents to speak to students in Grades 3-5 about their careers. Presenters will speak to individual classes during 30-minute blocks. You may sign up for as many or as few blocks as you like. Our goal is to expose students to a variety of occupations. Whether your child is participating or not, we would love to have you! Please consider sharing your experiences and helping the children to begin thinking about the world of work. If you would like more information, please email our School Counselor, Ann Rogers at ann_rogers@hcpss.org.
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a consortium of states developing assessments to measure student achievement in English Language Arts (ELA)/ Literacy and Mathematics for grades 3-8 and high school. The primary purpose of PARCC is to provide high-quality assessments of students’ progression toward postsecondary readiness and success.
The PARCC tests are designed to match the Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards and assess whether students are meeting grade-level expectations.
In contrast to other assessments, the PARCC is an extension to regular instruction, because students experience engaging, real-life texts and solve meaningful problems based on high-quality classroom work. In addition, built-in accessibility features help all students do their best and expand access for students with disabilities.
PARCC Testing Dates at Clemens Crossing, Grades 3-5 Only
Grade 3
ELA: May 6th, 7th, 8th
Math: May 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st
Grade 4
ELA: May 1st, May 2nd, May 3rd
Math: May 16th, May 20th, May 21st, May 22nd
Grade 5
ELA: April 26th, April 29th, April 30th
Math: May 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th
Teacher Appreciation Week
Barnes & Noble Day, Long Gate Shopping Center Day April 27
Come join the PTA for a Book Fair at Barnes & Noble in Ellicott City on April 27. The fun will start at 1:00 p.m. and go until 3:00 p.m. We will have story time and a fun craft.
All the proceeds from this event will go to our kids' Media Center.
Community News and Programs
Public Information Office for distribution. Please visit Distributing Community Information through the School System or contact the Public Information Office at 410-313-6682 if you have any questions.