Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
February 19, 2021 - Volume 42, Issue 25
Clemens Crossing Elementary School
We're Here to Help You!
Edward Cosentino, PrincipalSonia Hurd, Assistant Principal
Stacey Wells, Principal's Secretary
Jennifer Aballo, Teachers' Secretary
Dulce Boyer, Teachers' Secretary
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
February
- 25 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early
- 26 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early
March
- 1 - NEW Schedule will Start
- 1 - PHASE 1: In-Person Hybrid Model Begins for Identified Students in Group E (5 days a week)
- 8 - Kindergarten Registration Begins
- 15 - PHASE 2: In-Person Hybrid Model Begins for Identified A-Day Students in Grades K, 1, and 2
- 18 - PHASE 2: In-Person Hybrid Model Begins for Identified B-Day Students in Grades K, 1, and 2
- 17 - School Picture Day (Information and sign-up) will be in the 2/26 issue of this newsletter)
- 29 - PHASE 3: In-Person Hybrid Model Begins for Identified A-Day Students in Grades 3, 4, and 5
April
- 1 - PHASE 3: In-Person Hybrid Model Begins for Identified B-Day Students in Grades 3, 4, and 5
- 2 - Spring Break - Schools and Offices Closed
- 5 - Spring Break - Schools and Offices Closed
- 6 - Spring Break - Schools Closed
- 14 - End of 3rd Quarter Marking Period - Schools Close 3 Hours Early
February 2021
March 2021
April 2021
Calendar Update: Half Days on Feb 25 & 26
From School Administration
This past week, I notified families of their group designation for students returning to in-person instruction for each of the upcoming three phases. As I reported last week, we were able to honor all requests made in the Instructional Preference Survey. If you did not get an email on Monday regarding your Group E, Group A, or Group B assignment, please reach out to me as soon as possible.
NEW INFORMATION
New Schedules Start March 1, 2021
The new schedule below will be used on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays until the end of the school year.
On Wednesdays, Group E "every day" students will report to school on Wednesdays between 9:35 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. Group A & B students will do asynchronous work on Wednesdays, and Group V "virtual" students will also do asynchronous work, with a half-hour period from 12:05 p.m. - 12:35 p.m. for synchronized supports.
The master hybrid schedule and the Wednesday schedule are located on the main page of our website. You can also click the button below.
PTA Chick-fil-a Day
Come on out and support Clemens Crossing Elementary
School on their Spirit Day! Spirit Day is hosted in the
DRIVE-THRU, MOBILE DRIVE-THRU, MOBILE CURBSIDE ONLY.
HOW TO MAKE SURE FUNDS GO TO CCES:
• When ordering in the Drive-Thru, make sure you let your order
taker know that you are here for the Spirit Day.
• When ordering through the Mobile App, in the last section
labeled "Special Instructions" make sure to enter "Spirit Day".
Wednesday, Feb 24, 2021, 06:00 AM
Chick-fil-A, Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD, USA
PTA HELP NEEDED: POSTER MAKING
ITEMS NEEDED
- Disinfectant spray (Lysol Spray)
- Clorox/Lysol wipes
We have plenty of PPT, hand wipes, and hand sanitizer, but some teachers and staff would like to have these items in addition to what will be provided.
Upcoming TCOE/BSAP Workshops:
- TCOE Workshops - Please click here (Links to an external site.) for detailed flyers:
- February 20 9-10:30 a.m. - Family Financial Education Series
- March 13 9-10:30 a.m. – TCOE Community Academy– Suicide Prevention & Substance Abuse
- March 20 9-10:30 a.m. -Family Financial Education Series
- BSAP Workshops:
- February 17 6:30-8:00 p.m. – Virtually Expanding Your Horizons – HBCU Experience with Yard Talk 101 (Please see flyer(Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)
- March 6 6:30-8:00 p.m. – Re-Entry to School (more details to follow)
- March 20 6:30-8:00 p.m. - BCAP CCON Webinar – Virtually Expanding Your Horizons – Jumpstart (more details to follow)
Medication Drop-Off to the Health Room
If your child is returning to school in March and will need medication left in the Health Room, please contact CCES School Nurse Mrs. Schrumm as soon as possible to set up a time to drop off the medication. No medications can be sent to school with children.
You can email Mrs. Schrumm at jessica_schrumm@hcpss.org.
New HCPSS Community News and Programs Site
In response to community requests for resources, HCPSS’ new Community News and Programs
(Links to an external site.) website makes it easy for families to find educational and recreational resources, events, and after-school programs beyond the school day by non-profit organizations.
Chromebook Care
The CCES PTA is taking our Annual Talent Show Virtual in 2021!
We invite ALL Clemens Crossing students to participate.
The CCES Virtual Talent Show will be on Friday, March 26th at 7 pm on Zoom, with a possible overflow date on Wednesday, March 30th if we receive too many entries for a single show.
Students can submit a short video showing off any talent, whether that is playing a musical instrument, singing a song, dancing a Tik Tok dance, telling great jokes, solving a Rubik's cube, reciting poetry, acting, karate, sports tricks, juggling, magic and more. We are also looking for amazing student volunteers to help announce each act at the show itself!
The deadline to submit your sign-up form and your video is Friday, March 19.
Please note that if your child participates, his/her performance will be viewed electronically by those that attend the Virtual Talent Show. By submitting the sign-up form, you are granting permission to the CCES PTA to show your child's video during the show.
CCES Virtual Talent Show Rules:
- One act per student, unless the student is approved for an additional group act.
- Group acts may include family members!
- Videos should be 3 minutes or less.
- Make sure your act is rehearsed and prepared before you record it. You should practice it multiple times before you record your video.
Remember that all acts should demonstrate ROARing behavior (Respectful, Organized, Achieving, and Responsible). Please make sure that your act demonstrates responsible behavior, is well-rehearsed, and is appropriate. This includes the music that you select! All videos will be screened for quality, safety, and appropriateness, so please avoid using songs with explicit lyrics, etc. Note that we reserve the right not to show any videos that are deemed inappropriate or do not demonstrate ROARing behavior. If there is any problem with your video, we will contact you before the show.
We will have a lot of fun at the show, and would LOVE for all participating students to talk about their talent at the show!
We are looking for:
- Musicians and Singers
- Dancers
- Comedians
- Magicians
- Actors
- Poets
- Jugglers
- Mimes
- Sports Tricks (includes karate feats, gymnasts, ball tricks and more)
- Human Tricks
- Student Announcers to help at the Talent Show
- Any other creative talents!
Please contact us with any questions at culturalarts@clemenscrossingpta.org. We can't wait to see your acts!
INFORMATION WORTH REPEATING
Bridge to Normalized Instruction - Hybrid Instructional Model
Digital Tools
The purpose of this message is to update you on the availability of digital tools on HCPSS Chromebooks. Recently an Opt-In letter was sent home requesting parent/guardian consent in order for students to have access to the HCPSS authorized set of digital tools used for virtual instruction.
Update:
The following digital tools do not require consent because they are already available to students in HCPSS computer labs: Book Room, Word Work, Scratch BluBot, Scratch JR, Sketch-Up, Collector Classic, JamBoard, and Google Earth.
These supplemental digital tools are approved by HCPSS and comply with federal, state, and Howard County Board of Education student data privacy policies.
Please note that your student(s) will have access to these digital tools when the second semester starts through the Google Play Store icon on the Chromebook when logged in with an HCPSS account.
If your elementary school-aged child has not been issued a Chromebook, one can be picked up at a Technology Support Center.
Please note:
HCPSS cannot guarantee that apps are available on devices other than HCPSS Chromebooks.
Teachers may or may not choose to use any or all of these apps during instruction. Students will be notified when a particular app will be used for instruction.
In addition to these Google tools, HCPSS has approved a robust set of supplemental digital tools. Your child’s teacher will notify you of the particular supplemental digital tools being used in each class via email or on their Canvas course page.
COVID-19 Vaccinations for Staff
If their appointment conflicts with a synchronized lesson, they have been approved to take that available time slot. They will do their best to avoid any conflict. If their vaccination appointment does conflict with their teaching schedule, teachers will create a video lesson and/or asynchronous work, and they will clearly communicate that change to students and parents/guardians ahead of time. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding.
HELP WANTED: Lunch and Recess Monitors & Classroom Monitors
We would like to make our community aware of several temporary positions that will be available.
- Lunch/Recess Monitor- These individuals supervise students at lunch and/or recess, under the supervision of CCES staff.
- Classroom Monitor- If a teacher is unable to return to teaching in person due to health issues, a monitor would be hired to supervise the classroom of 6-7 students while the teacher continues teaching virtually.
These are temporary employment positions with no benefits except for Sick and Safe Leave.
The normal rate is $11.75 but this will be increased during this hybrid period to $14.25 per hour for LRM's and Classroom Monitors.
If interested please file an application at the Human Resources, https://www.hcpss.org/employment/
Do you need to exchange or return your Chromebook?
Devices may be exchanged or returned at any of the following Technology Support Centers:
- Old Bushy Park Elementary School, Room E2 (door to the left of the front entrance), 2690 Route 97, Glenwood (Building is between Glenwood Middle School and Bushy Park Elementary School)
- Applications Research Laboratory (ARL), Room B37 (door to the right of the front entrance), 10920 Clarksville Pike
Hours of operation are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday from 2-5 p.m. Please note that Technology Support Centers are closed any day that HCPSS offices are closed.
February PTA Meeting
Please use your child's Chromebook to access the Google Meet. The code is cces-pta.
Wednesday, Feb 17, 2021, 07:00 PM
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February is Kindness Month at CCES
We are declaring February to be Kindness Month! February 17th is “Random Acts of Kindness Day.” Although we cannot all be together this year to celebrate, we are providing our families with a calendar of kind ideas: CCES Kindness Calendar. Doing something kind for others can brighten up our days and lift our spirits!
As your child completes activities, feel free to send photos to Mr. Cosentino (ecosentino@hcpss.org) so that he can share on our social media accounts.
Road to Kindergarten
Kindergarten Registration kicks off the week of March 8, 2021.
The HCPSS Getting Ready for Kindergarten page, which includes resources to support kindergarten readiness and online registration, has been updated with additional information and resources for families. This includes information that is typically covered in the Road to Kindergarten live event, such as kindergarten readiness, the kindergarten program, and registering children for school. The live Road To Kindergarten events will not take place this year due to the pandemic. We also encourage families to visit the HCPSS Grade K Family and Community Resources page for more information about the kindergarten instructional program and ways families can support their children at home. The Prekindergarten Family and Community Resources page also contains resources for families and providers for children currently in their prekindergarten year. The Transition to Kindergarten Workgroup is working on additional readiness resources that can be implemented at home or in early learning centers - these resources will also be posted on the Getting Ready for Kindergarten page this winter.
"Books & Bundts" Reading Program
Nothing Bundt Cakes at 10730 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia is offering a youth reading incentive program for Grades Pre-K to 5th from January 15 to March 31, 2021! Click the flyer below describing the program.
Just use the attached Book Tracker to keep track of the books and minutes your child reads. When they reach 400+ minutes, take the tracker to Nothing Bundt Cakes and your child will receive a free "Bundtlet" and an award certificate.
Happy Reading!
Community News and Programs
Please find the link to the Howard County Public School System's Community News and Programs page.
In alignment with Howard County Board of Education Policy 10010, Distribution and Display of Materials and Announcements, the following announcements have been approved by the 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.
The below community notices are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Howard County Public School System.