Thank you for your CONTINUED support during the different schedules needed to respond to inclement weather events! We now have had three snow days, two early closings and two delayed openings.

Once again, here is the information for when we come in two hours late.

Information for Schedules for Two-Hour Delayed Openings:
We have created a Master Schedule that ensures that mathematics and reading instruction take place. Our staff collaborated on the schedule and academic specialists have adapted their schedules to provide instructional support.

Our lunch and recess times remain the same on two-hour delayed opening days as they do for our regular schedule. Recess is indoors.

Related Arts classes are 30 minutes long and will only include the second class on your child's schedule (if they had two that day.) The times for Related Arts are:

• Kindergarten- 2:30-3:00 p.m.
  
• 1st Grade- 1:30-2:00 p.m.
  
• 2nd Grade- 2:00-2:30 p.m.
  
• 3rd Grade- 3:00-3:30 p.m.
  
• 4th Grade- 12:00-12:30 p.m.
  
• 5th Grade- 11:30-12:00 p.m.

Information for Early Closing

As soon as we learn that HCPSS is closing early, we will send a customized message of the exact time BPES closes. We will also work on the following:

• Give teachers an updated copy of Emergency Closing dismissal option parents have noted on HCPSS Connect.
  
• Contact parents who sent in green notes to verify the choice for their child's dismissal
• Inform all students of the way they will go home.
  
• Increase staff support at dismissal to continue verification of correct dismissal procedures.

Our Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held next week on Thursday February 14th and Friday, February 15th. Students will have a 3-hour Early Dismissal at 12:47 p.m. both Thursday and Friday in order to allow teachers to meet with families during the conference time.

This conference will focus on math progress. Please see the information below regarding how to access Synergy to schedule the perfect conference time for you with your child’s math teacher!

We are continuing to use Synergy Conference Management to schedule parent-teacher conferences. It provides a simple user interface and easy navigation. Connect to view and select a conference time slot provided by the teacher.

February conferences will be for RECC & Prekindergarten and math teachers for grades K – 5.

Due to the amount of time allotted for February conferences, each teacher has only about 18 conference slot times available.

• These will be filled, first come, first served.
  
• Should you feel that a math conference is not necessary, please do not feel obligated to schedule one.

Parents can register for conferences online through Monday, February 11th at 4:00 PM. If you experience any issues, please submit your issue using the Help feature on the HCPSS Connect page at http://www.hcpss.org/connect.

NOTE:

• Conferences will be scheduled in 20 minute increments; however, that includes a 5 minute transition period. Conferences will last 15 minutes and then the teachers/staff will have 5 minutes to transition between conferences.

If you need directions, a helpful video has been created. Please click the following link https://youtu.be/QcMwkkIgkls to view this short video showing “How to Schedule Conferences”.

The following students were recognized for January 18th. Congratulations to:

• KINDERGARTEN
  
• Mrs. Bohn's Class- Jaelyn Eakle
  
• Mrs. O'Leary's Class- Caden Jamison
  
• Mrs. Powell's Class- Darien Laurier
  
• Mrs. Wilson's Class- Beckett Friedman
  

• 1st GRADE
  
• Mrs. Bruner's Class- Leo Shepherd
  
• Mrs. Hintz' Class- Malia Lam Tang
  
• Ms. Huyetts' Class- Violette Haas
  
• Mrs. Lambros' Class- Dalton Paloskey
  
• Mrs. Payne's Class- Owen Kerber
  

• 2ND GRADE
  
• Mrs. Follmer's Class- Maria Vilar
  
• Mrs. Hogan's Class- Sejan Beitzell
  
• Mrs. Keats' Class- Blake Cornelius
  
• Mrs. Stumpfl's Class- Gabe Augustin
  

• 3RD GRADE
• Ms. Griffin's Class- Harrison Lee
  
• Ms. Hewitt's Class- Helen Kang
  
• Mrs. Hovis' Class- Cayden Tran
  
• Mrs. Pickett's Class- Caroline Latchis
  

• 4TH GRADE
  
• Ms. Lyter's Class- Cate Walsh
  
• Mrs. Perry's Class- Emma McIntosh
  
• Mrs. Richmond's Class-Liam Dunlop
  
• Mr. Wilson's Class- Lainey White
• Mrs. Perry's Class Jan. 4th- Safa Fakhri

• 5TH GRADE
  
• Mrs. Cole's Class- Ishaan Gulati
  
• Ms. Landry's Class- Bashir Abou
  
• Mrs. Little's Class- Luc Touze
  
• Mrs. Stanton's Class- Ethan Morton
  
• Mrs. Yakscoe-Markle/Ms. Morstein's Class- Olivia Lee
  

The following students were recognized for February 1st. Congratulations to:

• KINDERGARTEN
  
• Mrs. Bohn's Class- Aubrey Titherington
  
• Mrs. O'Leary's Class- Natalie McQueen
  
• Mrs. Powell's Class- Dante Mendez
  
• Mrs. Wilson's Class- Desmond Vaziri
  

• 1st GRADE
  
• Mrs. Bruner's Class- Lara Penn
  
• Mrs. Hintz' Class- Reagan Hennessie
  
• Ms. Huyetts' Class- Caroline Lusby
  
• Mrs. Lambros' Class- Morgan Roth
  
• Mrs. Payne's Class- Makenna McCoy
  

• 2ND GRADE
  
• Mrs. Follmer's Class- Sammi Laake
  
• Mrs. Hogan's Class- Sofie Gustafson
  
• Mrs. Keats' Class- Vivian Ciconte
  
• Mrs. Stumpfl's Class- Teagan George
  

• 3RD GRADE
• Ms. Griffin's Class- Megha Deshpande
  
• Ms. Hewitt's Class- Alya Loveland
  
• Mrs. Hovis' Class- TBD
  
• Mrs. Pickett's Class- Jaxon Brown
  

• 4TH GRADE
  
• Ms. Lyter's Class- Cheyenne Navalta
  
• Mrs. Perry's Class- TBD
  
• Mrs. Richmond's Class- Maia Hanes
  
• Mr. Wilson's Class- Adhya Jay
  

• 5TH GRADE
  
• Mrs. Cole's Class- Lexi Lee-LLacer
  
• Ms. Landry's Class- Miranda Reynolds
  
• Mrs. Little's Class- TBD
  
• Mrs. Stanton's Class- Kort Heusser
  
• Mrs. Yakscoe-Markle/Ms. Morstein's Class- Ronik Sharma
  

In the new MARYLAND REPORT CARD, each school is now being held accountable for six performance indicators to ensure all schools are meeting the needs of all students.

These are shown below and more detailed information can be found at: reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/Graphs/#/ReportCards/ReportCardSchool/3/17/6/13/0406

Schools are now being held accountable for "Chronic Absenteeism." In the new MD Report Card information, it is coded as School Quality and Student Success. School points are comprised of a school’s percentage of not chronically absent students, school survey results, and measures of access to a well-rounded curriculum.

A student is considered chronically absent when

• Their absentee rate is beyond 10%. This does include excused and unexcused absences.
  
• Absences that are local discretionary days are those for a purpose determined by a parent or guardian. In HCPSS, a student may lawfully miss no more than three (3) local discretionary days a year.

The school's obligation is to encourage good attendance and inform the student and family of the anticipated consequences of absence for personal or family business. The school encourages scheduling these activities at times that will note require absence from school.

Over 100 families were on hand to celebrate the many cultures and the heritage of families in our school community on January 25th! There were 24 families who represented their countries with artifacts, displays, delicious food and families dressed to share highlights of their cultural heritage. The culminating performance features sharing of cultural wardrobe, poems, dances and tributes!

Thank you to organizers Julie Schablitsky and Adeola Jolayemi who recruited dozens of parents to support the effort! Thanks to Fatima Rizvi and Giles Gibson who are taking over the reins next year! It was an event that is living on in the hearts of all who came!

2nd Grade

Eleanor Barrick

Hailey Cohen

3rd Grade

Connor Abrecht

Lamiah Ahmad

Graham Baker

Emma Balzer

Jacob Baumwald

Roshan Beitzell

Griffin Berkowicz

Jacob Brown

Jaxon Brown

Bella Chen

Stella Clark

Elliott DeRosa

Megha Deshpande

Naqiya Fakhri

Liam Friedman

Emily Gordon

Blair Heusser

Helen Kang

Caroline Latchis

Kara LIang

Carson Libber

Jude Martin

James McCoy

Natalie Miles

Brock Miller

Sabrea Mitchner

Hunter Moreau

Jessica Nolan

Alexa Okojie

Robin O'Neill

Isabel Ormond

Christian Sexton

Charlie Schott

Viraj Sodhi

Cate Staley

Aubrey Sterrett

Chase Taylor

Allegra Tempchin

Shruthi Togari

Sam Tong

4th Grade

Yashvin Akyla

Yara Arif

Brett Barney

Alex Bowen

Emmet Connolly

Maia Hanes

Madelyn Huffman

Jake Jones

Maddie Kirkpatrick

Zoha Qamar

Lainey White

5th Grade

Natalie Dehne

Katie Dietz

Ashlyn Freishtat

Emma Friedman

Jacob Hwu

Peyton Moreau

Ethan Morton

Miranda Reynolds

Batook Rizvi

Jonathan Sexton

Luc Touze

In your winter cleaning, If you come across board games or legos that are in need to a good home, please send them in. Since we have had many indoor recess days, we are looking to refresh game, puzzles and lego choices for the students. Thank you for your consideration!

The Carson Reading Room sign up is now available for January. We encourage you to sign up for consecutive times with different grade levels. Thank you for your support!

Exercise outdoors is healthy and is strongly encouraged. It provides a break from the regular school routine, a chance to get some outside air, and an opportunity to run off excess energy.

If conditions preclude the full recess time, even a five-minute break can revitalize children and prepare them for more sitting and academic learning. Children are expected to wear warm clothing to protect them during cold weather when participating in recess or outside activities.

The decision to go out or stay in for recess is the decision of the Administrator at individual schools. However, the following are to be considered in determining if recess is to be held outside:

• Temperature and Windchill
  
• Age of students
  
• Length of time outdoors
  
• Adequacy of the children’s clothing
  
• Condition of the playground
  
• Falling precipitation (more than a sprinkle or mist)
  

Generally, it is assumed that students will be outside for recess when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Children with certain health conditions may need special accommodations during extremely cold weather. Parents of those children should provide medical documentation and may be consulted to determine if other arrangements are necessary.