Hollifield Herald - Welcome Back!
Virtual School Year 20-21
Dear HSES Families,
First, we want to say that we miss you so much! The distance learning will never replicate the excitement and joy that we feel when we see you on those first days of school. However, our goal this year is to create the best virtual experience possible for all of our students and families. We will continue to have our students' success and well-being at the heart of all that we do. Over the summer, we have worked collaboratively with our staff leaders to plan for this new educational journey. We have reviewed our school improvement goals, discussed ways to connect with our families, and planned for the virtual world.
Before we discuss our school improvement focus areas for this year, we want to share with you the successes from last year. As a new administrative team, we spent a great deal of time building relationships with our students, our families and our staff. We quickly realized what a special community Hollifield Station Elementary is to work in and serve. In collaboration with our staff, we were able to achieve the following goals:
1) Enhance our school-wide student climate with such initiatives as increased student recognition (Ex. Positive Office Referrals, H-Tickets), student voice (vote on new mascot, Leadership lunch bunches) and daily community circles.
2) Development and consistent implementation of structures to monitor student achievement, which included the following:
- Team Talks - Meetings held throughout the year to discuss any student concerns. Teams would work together to develop interventions and supports for these students.
- IIT - Instructional Intervention Team - A team that meets twice a month to discuss and develop formal plans and interventions for at risk students. Data is monitored throughout the year, and interventions are adjusted as needed.
- School Improvement Team - A team that monitors the impact of school improvement initiatives with a focus on the student groups identified as discrepant from their peers in achievement.
- PBIS Team - Positive Behavior Interventions and Support - This team monitors data around student behavior. Plans are developed to address areas of concern.
3) Implement professional learning around our school improvement goals, including:
- Staff meetings focused on questioning and discussion strategies that enhance student participation.
- Restorative Justice in Education professional learning with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion for all students.
- Opportunities for staff to visit their colleagues' classrooms and learn from each other.
4) Development of effective communication and centralized resources to support students, families and staff. (Weekly newsletters, staff online resources, schedules, open door policy, etc.)
These accomplishments do not even highlight the hard work and dedication that our staff and families achieved when faced with the pandemic and a whole new virtual world. We have much to be proud of from school year 19-20!
Below you will see our visual for this upcoming year. Many of our focus areas remain the same in order to build on the learning that we began last year. In our new virtual world, one of the key areas that we will focus on is the well-being of our students and staff. Building community and connections will be vital for engaging our students in virtual learning. We look forward to working with our families to understand the needs of our students and how we can ensure success. You are our partners in this journey, and we want to hear from you!
Our school improvement plan for school year 20-21 includes the following focus areas and strategies:
1) Academic: Instructional Strategies to accomplish Reading and Math goals:
Professional learning centered on “Depth of Knowledge” 3 and 4 leveled questions and facilitation strategies that reflect culturally responsive teaching that empower(s) all students to increase independent critical thinking skills.
Teachers will use resources to implement facilitation strategies that foster active student engagement and student voice in the classroom (think Jan Richardson, RJE PL, Danielson Framework, Number Talks and online resources).
Teams will create Long range plans that identify and embed the questions that will facilitate critical thinking and student -to -student discourse. In addition, they will identify and document discussion strategies that will help facilitate an effective discussion among and between the students.
- Administration will monitor and provide feedback to teachers throughout the year (emails, face-to-face, virtual observations, peer observations).
2) Discipline and School Climate:
Continued focus on creating a positive school culture and climate for students of non-dominant cultures.
Build upon the work started last year with Restorative Justice and Caring School Community.
Focus on embedding Restorative Justice lens in collaborative planning and instruction.
Accomplishing Restorative Justice and Climate goals in a virtual setting.
We hope this information provides you a clear understanding of where we have been, and where we are headed as a school. As always, please reach out if you have any questions, concerns or input. Let's get ready for a successful year!
Sincerely,
Amanda Wadsworth, Principal
Aaron Tark, Assistant Principal
Erin Coleman, Administrative Intern
Technology Accounts for New Students
Families with students new to HCPSS and whose registration has been finalized will receive an email from noreply@hcpss.org with the subject “Technology account information for new HCPSS student.” The email will be sent to the email address used during the student registration process. The email contains personalized and important information regarding new students’ technology accounts. If you have a child new to HCPSS and do not receive the email and/or cannot locate the email in the junk/spam folder of the email account you used during registration, you can use the Forgot Password or Username button on the hcpss.me student landing page to retrieve both your child’s username and password. Directions for Account Self Service are posted online.
Log in to Identify the Need for Internet
All elementary students will receive a Chromebook without request. Students will need to use a Chromebook from the school system so they can access all the applications used in instruction. Middle and high school families can request a Chromebook. All families can indicate a need for internet access.
Important Dates and Meeting Links
**Students will need to login into Google Meets with their HCPSS credentials. Kindergarten and new to HCPSS families who have registered should have received an email with their credentials to log in. If you have registered and have followed the steps above without success, please contact webmaster@hcpss.org to request this information. You cannot attend the Google Meet sessions without being logged into your child's account.**
August 28th - Virtual Community Conversations - Administration and grade level teachers (as possible) will provide a 45 minute time period for families to meet with administration and grade level staff. This is an opportunity to ask any questions, including questions around schedules and curriculum. Times and codes are below:
8:30 - 9:15 - Administration & Kindergarten representatives
Meeting code:
Phone Numbers
(US) +1 413-418-0746
PIN: 461 684 090#
9:30 - 10:15 - Administration & 1st Grade representatives
Meeting Code:
Phone Numbers
(US) +1 484-403-0484
PIN: 968 145 422#
10:30 - 11:15 - Administration & 2nd Grade representatives
Meeting Code:
Phone Numbers
(US) +1 435-610-2940
PIN: 487 502 777#
11:15 - 12:00 - Administration & 3rd Grade representatives
Meeting Code:
Phone Numbers
(US) +1 657-233-1642
PIN: 412 582 191#
1:00 - 1:45 - Administration & 4th Grade representatives (GT as available)
Meeting Code:
Phone Numbers
(US) +1 347-966-2888
PIN: 871 607 063#
2:00 - 2:45 - Administration & 5th Grade representatives (GT as available)
Meeting Code:
Phone Numbers
(US) +1 978-400-2365
PIN: 907 174 496#
September 2nd & 3rd - Distribution & Collection of Materials all day. A separate email will be shared in order to highlight this important event.
September 3rd - Virtual Kindergarten Back to School Night - 6:30 p.m. - The Kindergarten team will share an overview of their curriculum and best practices for our entering Kindergarten families. This is for sharing information with adults.
September 4th - Virtual Open House Orientation - Families & Students will have the opportunity to meet their classroom teacher and hear more about the grade level instructional program.
8:00 - 8:30 a.m. New Student Orientation
8:30 - 9:15 a.m. -- 1st & 2nd Orientation/ Open House
9:15 - 10:00 a.m. -- 3rd - 5th Orientation/ Open House
10:00 -10:45 a.m. -- Kindergarten Orientation/ Open House
**Rest of Day and first two weeks for scheduled 10 minute conferences with your teacher. Homeroom teachers will connect with families to share a schedule of meetings.**
September 8th - First Day of School (K-5)
September 22nd - Virtual Back to School Night -- A virtual event for families (adults) to hear about the grade level curriculum and best practices. Meeting codes will be provided closer to the event.
- 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. - 1st & 2nd Grade
September 23rd - Virtual Back to School Night -- A virtual event for families (adults) to hear about the grade level curriculum and best practices. Meeting codes will be provided closer to the event.
- 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. G/T Math Orientation for students currently enrolled in the 4th and 5th grade G/T Math program.
- 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. G/T Orientation for K-5 parents (Overview of the whole program)
- 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. 3rd -5th Grade
Registration On-line & In-Person
Staff List
Staff List - Please find our most current staff list with any new staff members or changes in assignment.
**As we make changes in our staffing assignments, we take many things into consideration:
- Student needs;
- Strengths of the staff member and how they will strengthen a team need;
- Cross curricular knowledge that a new member brings; and
- Providing a growth opportunity for a staff member.
- Staff request.**
Want to know the name of your homeroom teacher? Family File is the answer!
Family File is Open!
Please visit HCPSS Connect to update your Family File for the 2020-21 school year today! Parents must complete the Family File every year, even during virtual learning, to ensure HCPSS has the most current information for each child. Once logged in, parents/guardians will be asked to verify, or update the following information: Student Information, Parent/Guardian Contact, Emergency Contact, Medical Information, Arrival/Dismissal Procedures (for when in-person classes resume), Photo Approval, Data Confidentiality, PTA/PTSA Directory.
Applying for Free & Reduced Meals for Children
The Coronavirus pandemic is causing hardship for many of our friends and neighbors. Many HCPSS families have been impacted financially by the pandemic, and may be eligible now to receive benefits through the Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMs) program. Qualifying families can take advantage of a wide range of additional resources and discounts, including testing fees, tuition, internet and more. Click here to learn more or to apply.
HCPSS School News
All HSES and school system newsletters are sent through HCPSS News. Parents and guardians of currently enrolled HCPSS students automatically receive HCPSS News emails from the district and their child’s school, based on contact information submitted through the Family File last school year. Subscription information for parents of newly enrolled students and students changing schools will be automatically added to and/or updated in the system before the school year begins. For more information:
- Website – http://www.hcpss.org/hcpss-news/
- Email – webmaster@hcpss.org
- Call HCPSS Public Information – 410-313-6682
Hollifield Station Elementary School
Amanda Wadsworth, Principal
Aaron Tark, Assistant Principal
Erin Coleman, Administrative Intern
Email: amanda_wadsworth@hcpss.org
Website: https://hses.hcpss.org/
Location: 8702 Stonehouse Drive, Ellicott City, MD, USA
Phone: 410-313-2550
Twitter: @hcpss_hses