Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
February 26, 2021 - Volume 42, Issue 26
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
March
- 1 - NEW CCES School Schedule Starts: 9:35 a.m. to 4:05 p.m.
- 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
From School Administration
It was awesome welcoming back our staff on Wednesday! Their energy and enthusiasm helped bring our building back to life in a hurry. We are inching closer to the return of our Cougars with Monday serving as the first step in the process. We will welcome back our students in Group E followed by our primary students during the week of March 15 and then our intermediate students the week of March 29. We will continue to email each in-person group with group-specific emails and resources as we get closer to the designated return date. Additionally, we will keep our CCES website current with hybrid resources, and engage our families and students in orientations as we approach each phase. Please be sure to follow our Facebook and Twitter pages. We will start to utilize those social media channels more and more in the coming days and weeks.
As we have shared for the past two weeks, our hours and schedules are changing.
Our Master Schedule is located on our website. Grade level teams will be sharing additional details regarding the updated schedule and update Canvas Calendars with their new schedule, as well.
Thank you to our PTA for their support, especially during this transition. Our President Dani Gardner has been in continuous communication with me asking what we need and how our PTA can support our staff and students. If you haven’t joined our PTA yet, please consider doing so. Visit their website at clemenscrossingpta.org. It was so nice for our PTA to welcome our teachers and staff back by "chalking the walk" and providing everyone with a welcome back poster. Thanks again to our awesome PTA!
As we moved forward into this next phase of our school year, please understand that there may be some challenges ahead. For example, the timing might be slightly off due to the need to physically walk kids from one location to another. Please provide teachers with a little grace and understanding as they acclimate to the extended timing online while welcoming groups of students back into their classrooms.
We are looking forward to an outstanding next chapter of teaching and learning here at CCES starting Monday!
NEW INFORMATION
PICTURE DAY - March 17, 2021
Great news! It is time for our annual Picture Day at Clemens Crossing. Picture Day will take place on Wednesday, March 17. A photographer from Strawbridge Studios will be at Clemens Crossing all day for individual pictures.
On March 17, be sure to arrive at the scheduled time and follow appropriate directions.
Use the link below to choose your appointment time.
New Student Meal Procedures
Effective March 1, meals for seven days per week will continue to be provided at no cost to families and students; however, the days and times meals will be provided will change. Meals will be available in most schools, including those that have been closed for construction and those closed due to inadequate staffing.
Students returning to school buildings will have the option of receiving school meals any day they are at school. In addition, meals will be available for pickup from 7:45 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. at elementary school locations and 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. at middle and high school locations on the following weekdays:
- Mondays – Students in Group V and/or non-HCPSS students age 18 and under
- Wednesdays – Students in Groups E, A, or B
- Thursdays – Students in Group V and/or non-HCPSS students age 18 and under
There will be no pickups on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Pick-up times/locations are subject to change based on individual school needs and/or staffing. Full details on student meals for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year are available online.
Updates to Attendance Procedures
Some students will return to school buildings beginning March 1. On the days hybrid students are not assigned to be in the school building or for students who are remaining fully virtual, students will be expected to participate virtually using Google Meet for each of their classes.
Full details are available online.
Stay Informed
Email & Text Alerts
HCPSS News emails and text alerts keep families up-to-date on news and events, and deliver real-time notices of emergency closings and information. All HCPSS News subscriptions are generated from the information provided in Family File. Parents/guardians of previously enrolled HCPSS students do not need to sign up for or manage an HCPSS News account. Parents/guardians who are new to the system are automatically enrolled for email notification and must opt in to text alerts.
Emergency Notifications
In times of emergency situations, information will be shared with the community through our website, social media, text, email, and weather hotline. All parents automatically receive email messaging and new parents need to opt in to text messaging (see above). Unsubscribing from any school or district email or text will unsubscribe a user from all messaging, including emergency notifications. |
Supply List
INFORMATION WORTH REPEATING
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.
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. Thank you!
Upcoming TCOE/BSAP Workshops:
- TCOE Workshops - Please click here (Links to an external site.) for detailed flyers:
- 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:
- 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 7:00 p.m. 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!
Bridge to Normalized Instruction - Hybrid Instructional Model
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.
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.
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.