Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
December 10, 2021 - Volume 43, Issue 16
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
Important Upcoming Dates and Events
December
- 14 - PTA Restaurant Day - Chick-Fil-A (Johns Hopkins Road location).
- 15 - School Closes 3 Hours Early for a Professional Work Day
- 20 - School Spirit Day #1 - College Day to Kick-off Bowl Season!
- 21 - School Spirit Day #2 - Holiday Hat Day
- 22 - School Spirit Day #3 - Pajama Day
- 23 - Winter Break Begins
January
- 3 - School Reopens
- 12 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- 13 - Winter Strings Concert, 6:30 p.m.
- 13 - Winter Band Concert, 7:30 p.m.
- 17 - Schools and Offices Closed - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- 19 - School Closes 3 Hours Early for a Professional Work Day, 12:45 p.m.
- 20 - Winter Chorus Concert
- 21 - End of 2nd Quarter
- 24 - Schools Closed for Students - Professional Work Day
- 31 - Report Cards Issued
February
- 1 - Schools Closed for Students - Professional Learning Day
- 5 - PTA Roller Skate Night at The Supreme Sports Club
- 8 - PTA Restaurant Day - Chick-fil-A (Johns Hopkins Road)
- 9 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- 10 - Schools Close 3 hours Early for Parent-Teacher Conferences, 12:45 p.m.
- 11 - Schools Close 3 hours Early for Parent-Teacher Conferences, 12:45 p.m.
- 21 - Schools and Offices Closed - President's Day
- 25 - PTA Bingo Night
To subscribe to the CCES calendar on your smartphone, electronic device, or email system use the calendar ID sqspkjkbr6v6arss44js3n21eg@group.calendar.google.com.
From SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
A School Culture that Welcomes Every Child
“Our diversity won’t be a barrier but rather a reason for our success” -Unknown
Do you remember being in elementary school? Did you ever go back to your old elementary school? How did you feel entering your child’s school for the first time? I can recall all those feelings, and as principal, I am committed to ensuring that every child has positive memories of their school-age experiences. Unfortunately, the reality across our nation is that not every school or classroom welcomes diverse learners. As for this school, we measure excellence in how we form relationships and connections with each child and their family. To be a school of excellence, there must be a focus on the development of the whole child. As a result, a strong academic culture results and ultimately, our student’s suCCESs.
School culture is critically important. The culture and climate of a school is visible and it is felt.
A positive school culture says, “I am growing smarter every day.” “I belong here.” In addition, by focusing on high academic standards, students have goals that they can and want to achieve.
For example, our vision at Clemens Crossing ES is a school community where academic excellence is achieved and social-emotional well-being is developed as a foundation of success. In this process, students and teachers can clearly see the goal and work together to fulfill this vision.
This past week was Inclusive Schools Week. It was one week where we highlight and celebrate our continued commitment to every child, every day throughout the entire school year. Clemens Crossing Elementary School is that place of inclusivity. The place where every child is valued. The place where every child is respected. The place where every child is loved. The place where every child is welcome.
This December is already flying by with just eight more days of school until the winter break.
We encourage you to follow normal routines, be consistent with your expectations, and remind your child to stay focused on school. It is easy to lose focus during the holiday hustle and bustle.
Please also remember that the calendar was modified, and this Wednesday, December 15 is now a half-day. Students are dismissed at 12:45 p.m. on 3-hour early closing days.
Mr. Cosentino, Principal
NEW INFORMATION
Preparing for Unscheduled Emergency School Closings
When there is an unscheduled emergency closing, the front office will send you an email reconfirming what you indicated in Family File regarding how your child will go home that day.
We do this to reduce or eliminate phone calls after the early closure is announced. It is difficult to manage large volumes of phone calls on those days, so please do your best to have the most accurate information in Family File.
Contact Tracing Update
MEET OUR COUGARS - 2nd GRADE
Mrs. Stephanie Yung: I am truly honored to be a teacher member of the Clemens Crossing community! This is my 2nd year at CCES and my 17th year teaching. I currently teach 2nd grade and I have the best job teaching little people! I feel blessed to have a variety of educational and professional experiences in Maryland and New York. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a concentration in mathematics and science and I received my Master’s Degree in Literacy Instruction. When I am not teaching, I enjoy playing tennis, traveling, and having family time with my husband, 2 children, and extended family.
Mrs. Cheryl Shockey: I have been teaching at CCES for 13 years (14 years total). Most of my time has been in 2nd grade, with two years in 5th grade. I enjoy spending time with my boys (Jordan and Adam) and my husband. We go for walks and watch a lot of sports.
Mrs. Ashley Warner: This is my second year teaching 2nd grade at Clemens Crossing. Prior to moving to Howard County, I taught 5th grade in Charles County for five years. I have a B.A. in psychology and sociology from Stony Brook University in New York, and an M.A. in elementary education from Georgian Court University in New Jersey. My husband is also a teacher and we are so excited to welcome our first baby into the world this September! Some of my hobbies include cooking, baking, traveling, arts and crafts, and hiking. I love camping and being outside. Thanks for getting to know me!
Ms. Bev Parks: I grew up in Pennsylvania. I have lived in Columbia for 33 years. I have two grown children, one here and one in Philadelphia, who both went to CCES for elementary school. I have been working at CCES for 20 years. I love to watch college football, go out with friends for dinner or excursions, I would rather be outside if the weather is good.
Pictured below:
Top row: Ms. Bev Parks,
Middle row: L, Mrs. Yung & R, Mrs. Weinig
Bottom row: L, Mrs. Shockey & L, Mrs. Warner
Outdoor Eating
This fall many students have elected to eat school meals in the outdoor dining tent that was put in place at our school as an additional health safeguard during the pandemic. Now that winter is on our doorstep, and we expect to have much colder temperatures and precipitation. As a result, our tent was removed this week for the winter months, December through February. This is necessary to ensure the safety of our students and staff because the tents are not designed to sustain heavy snow, wind, or ice accumulation; they cannot be safely heated, and lowering the sides that are currently left open would not allow adequate outdoor air ventilation to occur.
HCPSS plans to reinstall the tents outside all elementary schools at the beginning of March 2022, with the specific timing dependent on weather conditions.
We will continue to designate outdoor spaces at our school, as much as possible, throughout the winter months where students may choose to eat their meals as weather conditions allow. On inclement weather days, arrangements will be made for these students to eat in designated classrooms.
As a reminder, please send your child to school dressed appropriately for weather conditions, especially if they plan to eat lunch outdoors.
Thank you for your support and collaboration in ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment for all students. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.
INFORMATION WORTH REPEATING
Volunteering and Vaccination Verification
We will resume volunteering at Clemens Crossing starting in January. In order to volunteer, individuals are required to show proof of full vaccination at least five school days in advance:
- Volunteers and chaperones who interact with students, and parents/guardians who are conducting classroom observations
- Current HCPSS students will not be permitted to visit a school that is not their own during the school day for field trips and volunteer opportunities. However, HCPSS students going to another school as part of their academic schedule, including students who go to ARL or another school for academic requirements, would not be required to provide proof of vaccination.
- Professional individuals or groups who come into the school during the school day to provide enhancements and support to instruction such as musical performers and guest speakers.
Use the PinPoint Vaccine Check platform to verify your vaccination status. The following information will be required during the process:
- The school(s) you will enter during the school day during the 2021-2022 school year. You should only use this platform once. If you need to enter an additional school later in the year, please notify school_volunteers@hcpss.org.
- CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card: Uploading your COVID-19 vaccination card is not a requirement of the PinPoint system. If you experience issues uploading your card, please select the “I do not have my card” option and proceed with the VaccineCheck verification process.
- Vaccination dose date(s):
- If you do not know the date(s) you received the vaccine, you will still be able to verify your vaccination status by providing additional information.
- If you got vaccinated in Maryland, consider accessing Maryland MyIR to view your “Certification of COVID-19 Vaccination” document which includes your dose dates.
- Photo: The platform will ask you to upload a photo of yourself for your digital vaccine card. This is optional.
- Registration Number: The platform will provide you with a registration number at the end of the process. Please write down or screenshot the number so you can use it if you wish to download your digital vaccine card once available, which is optional. Receiving your digital vaccine card is not a requirement for entry to the school.
If you have questions about how to use the platform, please contact PinPoint’s support team by emailing hcpss@pinpoint.us or calling 888-750-2247.
Reporting Absences
Absence Notes
All students are required to have a note explaining why they were absent. Please send an email to your child's teacher as well as ccesabsence@hcpss.org.