Live from The Lane
Love Learning at The Lane December 2021/January 2022
Principal's Message--Joy, Joy, Joy!
Our teachers are scholars are not only finding meaningful connections and new information in learning, they are also finding joy! Our teachers work hard to create engaging lessons that are relevant to real-life and memorable to students. We are also finding joy in re-connecting with each other during Nest Fest (previously known as Friday Reward), in classroom community circles and together at recess. One of the things that make working and learning here at The Lane so special is a deep sense of joy of being here together. Please ask your scholar to share how they experienced joy in school today!
In love and learning,
Principal Coit
Important Reminders!
- School starts at 9:10. Students are able to enter the building at 8:55. Please make arrangements so that students are not at the school before 8:55 as there is no adult supervision before then.
- If students arrive after 9:10, they must be signed in at the front office.
- Please send extra masks with your student in case the one they wear to school gets wet or sweaty.
- As a Green School, we are working on reducing waste and are encouraging students to bring water bottles to refill.
- Please remind your scholar to charge their device at home every night. It is important that it is ready to go for instruction when they arrive at school and we have limited chargers here.
A Message from the Superintendent
Message to the BCPS Community
Dear Parents, Guardians, Staff, and Students:
I hope you have had a safe and restful winter break. I am writing to provide an update on our plans for students and staff as winter break comes to an end. In my December 20 message, I shared information on the steps we are taking as a system to keep our students and staff safe while keeping our buildings open for teaching and learning. We continue to meet weekly with the Baltimore County Department of Health to evaluate COVID-19 metrics and review our health and safety strategies
Preparing for a January 3 Return
With guidance from health experts and additional support from the county government, BCPS is moving forward with its plans to have students and staff return to schools and offices in-person on January 3, 2022. It is important to note that the Maryland State Department of Education also issued a statement clarifying that the expectation is that all school districts remain open for in-person learning and support for temporary transitions to virtual learning would be on a case-by-case basis.
We know that for most students in-person learning is the best option to meet their academic and social-emotional needs. We also understand the pandemic is not over and we must remain vigilant in our efforts to keep our communities safe. In addition to the safety measures shared in the December 20, 2021, message, we are also taking the following steps effective January 3, 2022:
- Providing COVID-19 resources to students, staff and families to ensure shared understanding and promote safe learning environments. (See When to Stay Home and Recommended Isolation Calendar)
- Postponing all athletic contests and extracurricular activities until Jan. 10 to expand weekly screening testing access to all middle and high school unvaccinated students who choose to participate in after school activities. Please see the student consent form here.
- Obtaining KN95 masks to provide as an additional option for students and staff.
- Providing onsite PCR testing for schools experiencing persistent or school-wide COVID-19 outbreak.
- Obtaining Rapid Home Testing kits for students and staff for distribution in schools with persistent or school-wide outbreaks.
- Collaborating with the Baltimore County Department of Health to offer school-based COVID vaccine clinics.
School nurses will also continue to conduct testing for students and staff who develop symptoms at school. We have worked with Baltimore County government to supplement our current PPE supply and procured an additional 126,000 KN95 masks and 126,000 Rapid Home Testing kits for BCPS students and staff.
Other Important Things to Note
- BCPS may move individual schools or groups of schools to virtual learning after reviewing a number of factors (e.g., percent of positive student and staff cases, number of staff and students in quarantine, and special program considerations) in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Health, Maryland State Department of Education, and/or the Baltimore County Health Department. These closures will be tracked on the BCPS Web site.
- Maryland’s guidelines for quarantine and isolation have not changed. Students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 will be required to isolate for a minimum of ten days. Should Maryland adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s shortened isolation and quarantine guidelines, BCPS will update its practices accordingly.
Here is What You Can Do to Help
- Please stay home if you are sick. This is critically important as many individuals with even the mildest of symptoms are testing positive for COVID-19.
- If your child tested positive for COVID-19 over the winter break and will be absent on January 3, 2022, please alert your child’s school homeroom teacher, nurse, or administrator as soon as possible.
- Get the COVID-19 vaccine. It is safe and available to everyone ages 5 and older.
- Get the booster shot. This additional shot provides an added level of protection and is available for everyone 16 and above.
- Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth whenever you are in a BCPS building or in public buildings in Baltimore County.
The BCPS community is stronger when we work together. Your continued partnership and cooperation are critically important to keep our school communities healthy, safe and open for in-person learning. I want to wish all of Team BCPS a very happy and healthy new year in advance.
Sincerely,
Darryl L. Williams, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Staying Safe Together!
Thank you for partnering with us to continue to keep our scholars safe at school! We are:
- following the mitigation strategies outlined by BCPS.
- socially distancing students to the greatest extent possible, with visual reminders on the floor and on cafeteria benches
- enforcing the mask policy. At lunch, students only have their masks off to eat and must pull them back up to talk with friends who are masked.
- limiting visitors to reduce exposure. We are hosting virtual meetings and parents can make appointments to be in the building
- providing access to numerous hand sanitizer stations throughout the school and students are given opportunities to wash their hands frequently.
- ensuring that classrooms and the cafeteria are cleaned thoroughly daily and high-touch surfaces are cleaned frequently throughout the day thanks to our awesome facilities team.
If you would like more information, please visit the BCPS.org website and click on the Covid dashboard. If your child is experiencing Covid-like symptoms or generally does not feel well, please do not send them to school. Please reach out to our Nurse, Amy Swan at aswan@bcps.org or 410-521-4920 to report any covid-like symptoms, positive results or for any questions. Although this pandemic is scary, we can be stronger together as a school community, making sure we adhere to the mitigation and reporting guidelines in order to keep ourselves, others and our school family safe.
Important Upcoming Dates
January 3-Schools Reopen
January 17-Schools Closed-MLK Jr. Day
January 21-Schools Close 3 Hours Early
Thank you to our Community Leaders!
Strings Perform in the Office
Coffee Bar for Staff!
ELA Spotlight
During English Language Arts, Church Lane First Graders became zoologists for the Baltimore Zoo by creating a visual display that informed their reader about a particular animal! Each student used text features, illustrations and details to demonstrate key facts about an animal (RI.1.5 and RI.1.7). See the amazing student work samples below!
RI. 5 Know and use various text features to locate key facts of information in a text.
RI.7 Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.
Updated Contact Info Needed!
Church Lane Elementary School
Email: tcoit@bcps.org
Website: http://churchlanees.ss3.sharpschool.com/
Location: Church Lane Elementary, Fernside Road, Randallstown, MD, USA
Phone: 410-887-0717
Twitter: @Church_Lane_ES