Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
January 15, 2021 - Volume 42, Issue 20
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
January
- 18 - Schools and Offices Closed: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- 19 - Incoming 6th Grade Harper's Choice Middle School Parent Night, 6:30 p.m. CODE: HCMSNSO
- 21 - Incoming 6th Grade Wilde Lake School Parent Night, 6:30 p.m. CODE: hyw-ykst-zev
- 26, 27 - FULL DAYS for ALL SCHOOLS
- 28 - HIGH SCHOOLS HAVE A HALF DAY - THIS IS A FULL DAY FOR CCES
- 29 - School Closed for Students: Professional Work Day
- 29 - End of Second Quarter
- 29 - Parent Teacher Conference scheduling window Opens
February
- 3 - Math MAP, 9:00 a.m.
- 5 - Parent Teacher Conference scheduling window Closes
- 10 - ELA MAP, 9:00 a.m.
- 10 - Parent-Teacher Conferences
- 11 - Half Day Schedule - Orange Day
- 12 - School Closed for Parent-Teacher Conferences
- 15 - Schools and Offices Closed for President's Day
FROM SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. devoted his life to realizing the dream of freedom, equality, peace, and economic and social justice. At Clemens Crossing Elementary School, we are committed to advancing that dream by ensuring equitable access to education for all our beautiful and capable students, and we thank you for the work you do to help.
School is closed on Monday, January 18 in recognition of Dr. King. Each year, instead of having a day off, the third Monday in January is a day on for volunteerism to help communities all over our country. I encourage you to learn more about Dr. King and figure out ways to further his vision through service to our community. There are many opportunities throughout Columbia, Howard County, and Maryland to help make January 18 a "DAY ON" and a day of service.
NEW INFORMATION
HELP WANTED FOR PTA
The PTA is looking for some help. We need volunteers for the following committees: Nominating, Bylaws, and Auditing. All of these will meet virtually just a few times in the spring. Please email president@clemenscrossingpta.org or vicepresident@clemenscrossingpta.org for more info.
End of 2nd Quarter and Grading
Grading
Grades for all classes are a combination of assignments in class and online, observational data, and assesments. Please note, at the elementary level the gradebook may not reflect the final grade for a particular class as teachers collect many data points during class that are not always captured in the Canvas gradebook.
If your child receives a grade lower than a C, the teacher will have notified you prior to receipt of your student(s) report card. Again, grades are a reflection of completed assignments both online and in class, observations and assessments. Teachers have reached out to families where there have been concerns with completion of assignments, participation and/or attendance. Please let your teacher(s) and/or administration know if you need assistance with completion of any assignments or have attendance issues. We are here to support all students in achieving success in this virtual learning environment.
Related Arts -- Please make sure your student(s) has all assignments for all Related Arts completed and submitted before the end of the semester (January 28). Please access the gradebook in Canvas to verify all assignments are turned in. If you have any questions about Related Arts grades or assignments, please email or use Canvas Inbox to contact your child’s Related Arts teachers.
Conference Scheduling
Reflections Arts Contest Results
The CCES PTA is pleased to announce the winners of the Reflections Arts Contest this year! Students were asked to create a piece of visual art, a piece of music, or write a story or poem that reflected the theme "I Matter Because". All participating students will receive certificates. Congratulations to everyone!
2020-2021 Reflections Artists:
- Harrison Abbamonte
- David Chandler
- Laura Cowperthwaite
- Dalton Cross
- Amy Kikanzira
- Marco Platino
- Stella Platino
- Kate Rhee
- Eve Samuel (Eve submitted 5 works of art!)
- Madelyn Schetgen
- John Telis
All submitted works were rated based on their connection to the theme, technique and creativity by three wonderful judges: Mr. Jones, Mr. Schmitt and Mrs. Ritchie. The top three pieces of artwork in each category were sent on to the Howard County Reflections level. Here are the top prize winners from Clemens Crossing:
Film Production - Intermediate (3-5):
- Award of Excellence: Marco Platino (5th grade)
Literature - Primary (K-2):
- Award of Excellence: Harrison Abbamonte (2nd grade)
- Award of Merit: Kate Rhee (2nd grade)
- Honorable Mention: Amy Kikanzira (2nd grade)
Literature - Intermediate (K-2):
- Award of Excellence: Eve Samuel (3rd grade)
Music Composition - Intermediate (3-5):
- Award of Excellence: Laura Cowperthwaite (3rd grade)
- Award of Merit: David Chandler (4th grade)
Visual Arts - Primary (K-2):
- Award of Excellence: Stella Platino (2nd grade)
- Award of Merit: John Telis (2nd grade
Visual Arts - Intermediate (3-5):
- Award of Excellence: Eve Samuel (3rd grade)
- Award of Merit: Madelyn Schetgen (3rd grade)
- Honorable Mention: Eve Samuel (3rd grade)
We will hold an awards ceremony on January 27 at 7pm, and all the artwork submitted will be available to view by the entire school in a virtual gallery!
Middle School Orientations
Harper's Choice Middle School Orientation
Tuesday, Jan 19, 2021, 06:30 PM
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Wilde Lake Middle School Orientation
Thursday, Jan 21, 2021, 06:30 PM
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January 2021 Meal Service Adjustments
Howard County Public Schools will not be in session Monday, January 18 for the Martin Luther King Jr Day holiday and Friday, January 29 for a professional work day. There will be no meal service either of these days and additional meals may be picked up in advance of the closures.
The following adjustments will be made to meal services:
- There is no meal service Monday, January 18.
- Meals that were pre-ordered for pickup Thursday, January 14 will include meals for Thursday-Monday.
- Meals that will be served Friday, January 15 will include meals for Friday-Monday. Pre-ordering is not required.
- For the week of January 18, meals may be pre-ordered for pickup Tuesday, January 19 and/or Thursday, January 20.
- There is no meal service Friday, January 29.
- Meals that are pre-ordered for pickup Thursday, January 28 will include meals for Thursday-Sunday.
- Additionally, meals that will be picked up via walk-up service on Thursday, January 28 will include meals for Thursday-Sunday. Pre-ordering is not required.
Meals are provided at no cost to any HCPSS student or any child under age 18. More information about 2020-2021 meal services is provided online.
Behavior Talks Videos
Behavior Talks is a series of brief trainings created by HCPSS Staff. Each video shares useful tips to promote student success related to behavior, social/emotional needs, organization/self-management at home, and more.
Superintendent Presents 2020-2021 Third-Quarter Timeline for In-Person Small Groups
Superintendent Michael J. Martirano presented a timeline for the return and expansion of in-person small groups to the Board of Education during the Howard County Board of Education’s January 7, 2021, COVID-19 Update/2020-2021 School Year Status work session. The Board of Education also held a discussion regarding priorities for a fourth quarter instructional model.
The third quarter timeline presented by the Superintendent is dependent on the health environment allowing a return of students and staff based on the metrics approved by the Board:
January
- During the week of January 4, HCPSS restarted in-person assessments and resumed in-home supports for some students who receive special education services.
February
- On February 1, HCPSS will implement the expansion of small group programs and supports, for four or five days each week, to provide some level of in-person supports in place at every school.
- On February 13, the fall athletics season is scheduled to begin with in-person practices.
March
- HCPSS will continue small group offerings at every school and prepare for the possible implementation of a hybrid model for the fourth quarter, which begins on April 15.
- The goal is to have 5 percent of students in buildings, and continue to increase the percentage to bridge to a fourth quarter model with expanded in-person instruction.
The Superintendent also renewed his intention for many traditional senior activities such as prom, senior awards and graduation to take place in person, if it is safe to do so. Central office staff, high school administrators and senior class representatives and advisors are working in preparation of that goal.
Additionally, the Superintendent reiterated that any decision to initiate in-person small groups will be driven by data, including the health metrics that were determined by the Board.
- According to the Board’s health metrics, the Howard County COVID-19 positivity rate must be at or below 5.13% and the case rate per 100,000 below 20 for two consecutive weeks to return to small group instruction.
- For reference, the January 6 positivity rate was 7.6% and the case rate per 100,000 was 34.96, both significantly above the levels allowing small groups to resume.
- Beyond health metrics, HCPSS considers attendance and engagement data, student grades, technology distribution data, and vaccine distribution data in order to make well-informed decisions.
To date, the Howard County Public School System has implemented strict protocols for notification of positive cases and potential exposure, and will continue to work with the Howard County Health Department and follow CDC guidelines. Students and staff in buildings must follow strict precautions including the use of appropriate face masks, social distancing, and regular hand washing and sanitizing. Hand sanitizing stations and plexiglass have been installed in all appropriate areas to support the safety of students and staff.
Following the Superintendent’s presentation of the timeline through March, the Board engaged in a continuing discussion of priorities for an instructional model to be implemented for the fourth quarter.
Resources from, and video of the January 7, 2021 Board of Education meeting may be viewed online. Video may take up to 24 hours before it is available to view online.
PTA's Pandemic Games #9 Results for Staff
We are down to our last month of the Pandemic Games for our amazing staff! This week we raffled off 4 gift baskets: one donated by Trader Joe’s (containing their most popular items), two donated by Starbucks (reusable cups and 3 bags of coffee each) and one with items donated by our families (4 reusable grocery bags and a $20 Giant Gift Card.) Our winners are: Trader Joe’s: Ms. Rausch, Starbucks: Ms. Denkeli, Starbucks: Mr. Griffis and Giant: Ms. Garcia. Congratulations to our winners! We will finish out the semester strong with one more Pandemic Game to celebrate our staff.
SAVE THE DATES! - Winter MAP Testing
On Wednesday February 3rd and 10th, students in grades 1-5 will take the Measured Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. The data from the MAP assessment will help schools and teachers measure your student’s academic progress. The MAP test does not affect grades and the difficulty adjusts depending on how your child responds. It is normal for students to only answer about half the questions correctly. To learn more about the MAP assessment, please visit: https://www.nwea.org/the-map-suite/common-questions-families/
The math test will be offered on February 3rd from 9-11 am. The reading test will be offered on February 10th from 9-11 am. If your child is unable to attend, makeup testing will be offered during asynchronous learning times. Teachers will share Google Meet information and your student’s testing group as we get closer to the February dates.
INFORMATION WORTH REPEATING
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.