Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
April 29, 2022 - Volume 43, Issue 32
Clemens Crossing Elementary School
Jaime Gittleson, 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
April
- 29 - Month of the Military Child Day Wear Purple
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
- 2 - Schools Closed, Professional Work Day (originally open, but the Board of Education changed this on 2/24)
- 3 - Schools OPEN (originally closed, but the Board of Education change this on 2/24)
- 10 - PTA Restaurant Day - Chick-fil-A, Johns Hopkins Road
- 11 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- 12 - Rising 6th Grade School Visits to either WLMS or HCMS
- 12 - Spring Chorus Concert
- 18 - 3-Hour Early Dismissal, 12:45 p.m.
- 19 - 5th Grade Panoramic Picture (was 5/6)
- 20 - PTA Spring Carnival
- 24 - Science Fair, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- 25 - 5th Grade Simulated Congressional Hearing
- 26 - Strings Concert, 6:30 p.m.; Band Concert, 7:30 p.m.
- 30 - Schools and Offices Closed for Memorial Day
- 3 - Field Day (rain date, 6/6)
- 8 - 3-Hour Early Dismissal, 12:45 p.m.
- 14 - 5th Grade Closing Ceremony (for parents of 5th graders only)
- 15 - 3-Hour Early Dismissal, 12:45 p.m
- 16 - 3-Hour Early Dismissal, 12:45 p.m
- 17 - 3-Hour Early Dismissal, 12:45 p.m (Tentative Last Day of School)
- ** 5th Grade Closing Ceremony will be the last full day of school.
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
Teacher Appreciation Week
Next week is teacher & staff appreciation week, and I would encourage you and/or your child to use this opportunity to thank the educators at Clemens Crossing with whom you are grateful. Think about the staff that had a positive impact on your child this year. From the classroom to the reading group, recess to the lunchroom, specialist, and support staff, we are fortunate to have such a caring, hard-working and experienced team of educators and staff!
You can use this link to view our staff list of email to have your child write a note or have them verbalize their appreciation. The PTA organized an exciting week for our staff. Additionally, they have a teacher's wish list in case you want to get a teacher something from the wish list.
Farewell Ms. Wells
Ms. Stacey Wells, Principal's Secretary, accepted a position at HCPSS Central Office in the purchasing office. Her last day at CCES will be Tuesday, May 4.
Ms. Wells has been at CCES for the past three years, and she has been incredible in her role during that time. Her calm and caring approach was reassuring during our redistricting process, the many transitions throughout the pandemic, and this year as we reopened our school. She will be greatly missed. Please join me in wishing her the very best in the next chapter of her career.
Mr. Cosentino, Principal
NEW INFORMATION
PTA Staff/Teacher Wish List
Hello CCES families,
It is that time of year to show our lovely staff how much they are appreciated. The CCES PTA would love for our students to get involved as well. Our wonderful teachers have created classroom wish lists that can be found on our PTA website (https://clemenscrossingpta.org).
If you choose to send in something, have your student bring the item(s) any day during the week of May 2-6. You can also have your student write a Thank You note to his/her teacher or to any staff member. Here are some wonderful templates to print out and have your child work his/her magic.
Science Fair Registration Deadline
Google Translate
Google Translate is now available in Google’s menu of additional services on HCPSS-issued Chromebooks for students in grades 4-12. Parent or guardian consent is required for students to access the tool/application.
If you have previously provided consent for Google’s menu of additional services, your child will automatically be given access to Google Translate, and no further action is needed.
If you desire to provide consent for your child to access Google’s additional services which include Google Translate, YouTube (grades 6-12), and CS First (grades K-5), complete the following steps:
- Log in to HCPSS Connect.
- Select More Options from the left panel.
- Select HCPSS Google Menu from the middle of the page.
- Click the check box to provide consent. Changes are automatically saved.
The Google Additional services will include:
- CS First for grades 4 and 5 - This is an authorized Supplementary Digital Tool, for creating interactive stories, games, and animations using a programming language called Scratch during the Computational Thinker unit
- Google Translate grades 4-12 - This additional service or authorized Supplementary Digital Tool, offers free service to instantly translate words, phrases, and web pages between English and over 100 other languages. Students will be informed when this service is allowable for use during classwork, independent assignments, and/or World Language assessments.
Claim Lost & Found
CCES Lost & Found
Pictured below are the contents of our Lost & Found since mid-January.
If you see something that belongs to your child, please email any of the following people in the front office:
- Jenn Aballo - jennifer_aballo@hcpss.org
- Dulce Boyer - dulce_boyer@hcpss.org
- Stacey Wells - stacey_wells@hcpss.org
When claiming an item, please state the picture number and identify the item within the picture. For example, "Picture 5, yellow vest is Sarah's in Mrs. Billingsley's class"
We will donate the unclaimed contents of our lost & found on Friday, May 6
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4
Picture 5
Picture 6
Picture 7
Picture 8
Picture 9
Picture 10
Picture 11
Picture 12
INFORMATION WORTH REPEATING
Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) – Spring Assessments for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade
MSDE will administer MCAP assessments in the Spring for English Language Arts/Literacy & Mathematics. MCAP is the overarching term used for all state assessments.
Students in grades three, four and five will be participating in the MCAP Assessment starting on April 25th. There are four units of the Math test and four units of the English Language Arts (ELA) test for each grade. Students will take one test unit a day for ELA and two test units per day for Math.
Below are the assessment dates/times for each grade level.
5th Grade MCAP Dates/Time:
10:35 am - 5/9, 5/10 (Math assessment)
10:35 am – 5/16, 5/17, 5/18, 5/19 (ELA assessment)
4th Grade MCAP Dates/Time:
9:15 am – 5/5, 5/6 (Math assessment)
3rd Grade MCAP Dates/Time:
1:05 pm - 5/9, 5/10, 5/11, 5/12 (ELA assessment)
1:05 pm - 5/16, 5/17 (Math assessment)
Please make every effort to have your child in school on time for the listed assessment dates.
Make up testing will be provided on days that assessments are not currently scheduled. All testing will be completed by June 3rd.
Students need to bring their HCPSS issued laptop (fully charged) and corded headphones. Any student without headphones will be issued a pair to use for the assessments. Please contact Jaime Gittleson, Jaime_Gittleson@hcpss.org, with any questions about the MCAP assessment.
Visitors and Volunteers
All volunteers and visitors must complete two trainings; HCPSS confidentiality training and child abuse and neglect training for parents. Upon completion, there are two forms to complete and turn in to the front office when you arrive.
Confidentiality Training - Certificate
Child Abuse and Neglect Training - Certificate
All visitors and volunteers need to sign in using the Lobby Guard kiosk in the front office. In order to do that, you need a government-issued identification (driver's license). The Lobby Guard program conducts a quick background check. Visitors and volunteers must wear the Lobby Guard issued visitor's badge in a prominent location while in the school building and on campus. When leaving, visitors and volunteers must sign out using the Lobby Guard badge.
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 a school outside of the HCPSS district, we are here to help.
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, contact Jennifer Aballo, Registrar: jennifer_aballo@hcpss.org
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.