Thank you!

We would like to personally thank all of the families and students that so generously gave us holiday gifts and provided gifts to staff! Your thoughtfulness is much appreciated!

Special News:

My husband and I welcomed our first grandchild on December 19th! Stella Jo was born to our daughter Alyssa and our son-in-law Tim. She is already making her mark in our family!

The following students were recognized for January 4th. Congratulations to:

• KINDERGARTEN
  
• Mrs. Bohn's Class- Olivia Ho
  
• Mrs. O'Leary's Class- Kendall Baker
  
• Mrs. Powell's Class- Addison Faracy
  
• Mrs. Wilson's Class- Sahil Sarkar
  

• 1st GRADE
  
• Mrs. Bruner's Class- Ethan Holmes
  
• Mrs. Hintz' Class- Trey Stup
  
• Ms. Huyetts' Class- Anwar Fakhri
  
• Mrs. Lambros' Class- Claire Zito
  
• Mrs. Payne's Class- Noah Vick
  

• 2ND GRADE
  
• Mrs. Follmer's Class- Derrick Dartey
  
• Mrs. Hogan's Class- Nathan Barrick
  
• Mrs. Keats' Class- Jackson Borowy
  
• Mrs. Stumpfl's Class- Morgan Lawrence
  

• 3RD GRADE
• Ms. Griffin's Class- Timothy Lee
  
• Ms. Hewitt's Class- Roshan Beitzell
  
• Mrs. Hovis' Class- Maddie Moran
  
• Mrs. Pickett's Class- Mason Jones
  

• 4TH GRADE
  
• Ms. Lyter's Class- Laith Shepherd
  
• Mrs. Perry's Class- TBD
  
• Mrs. Richmond's Class-Jake Dones
  
• Mr. Wilson's Class- Maddy Huffman
  

• 5TH GRADE
  
• Mrs. Cole's Class- Trinity Shackelford
  
• Ms. Landry's Class- Chloe Prophet
  
• Mrs. Little's Class- Natalie Dehne
  
• Mrs. Stanton's Class- Jayden Michael
  
• Mrs. Yakscoe-Markle/Ms. Morstein's Class- Rory Healey
  

The Carson Reading Room sign up is now available for January. We encourage you to sign up for consecutive times with different grade levels. Thank you for your support!

Recently you received a letter from your child’s future administrator welcoming them and you to middle school next year! The communication you received included:

· A Welcome Letter with details and explanation.

· A handout sharing the Middle School Schedule in Detail.

· A Music Performance Enrollment Form for Rising 6th Grade Students

As part of the transition process, the middle schools are hosting a 6th Grade Parent Orientation Night. Each school will hold a collaborative information session. You will have an opportunity to learn about the middle school program and ask questions.

The dates for each school are:

· Glenwood Middle School Thursday, January 17th @ 6:30 p.m.

· Folly Quarter Middle School Monday, January 28th @ 6:00 p.m.

Prior to the Parent Orientation Nights, you are asked to please return the Music Performance Enrollment Form to your child’s homeroom teacher. These forms need to be returned no later than Friday, January 18th.

· Even if your child will be opting out of any music performance class options, we need you to return the form indicating that.

Do you have a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2019?

Do you have a neighbor who has a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2019?

If you said yes, to either question above, please review and/or share this information.

Please join us for an information session about kindergarten

in the Howard County Public School System.

At this workshop you will learn:

• Expectations for school readiness (and receive a Ready for Kindergarten toolkit).
• Details about the kindergarten program.
• Information about HCPSS kindergarten registration.
• Ways that families and children can be supported during the transition to kindergarten.

Sessions are designed for adults only. Child care is available for children ages 2 and older. Doors will open at 6 p.m. to allow time for parking, child care drop off, and check-in. Sessions begin promptly at 6:30. We anticipate large crowds so please allow yourself ample time.

Choose a session that is convenient for you. No registration required.

All sessions will be held from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 23
Oakland Mills High School, 9410 Kilimanjaro Road, Columbia

Thursday, January 24
Centennial High School, 4300 Centennial Lane, Ellicott City

Wednesday, January 30
Hammond High School, 8800 Guilford Road, Columbia

If Howard County public schools are closed for inclement weather, that day’s session is canceled.

To learn more information about preparing for Kindergarten, visit the following page on the HCPSS website: https://www.hcpss.org/enroll/kindergarten/

Kindergarten registration begins Monday, March 11 in person and online.

Exercise outdoors is healthy and is strongly encouraged. It provides a break from the regular school routine, a chance to get some outside air, and an opportunity to run off excess energy.

If conditions preclude the full recess time, even a five-minute break can revitalize children and prepare them for more sitting and academic learning. Children are expected to wear warm clothing to protect them during cold weather when participating in recess or outside activities.

The decision to go out or stay in for recess is the decision of the Administrator at individual schools. However, the following are to be considered in determining if recess is to be held outside:

• Temperature and Windchill
  
• Age of students
  
• Length of time outdoors
  
• Adequacy of the children’s clothing
  
• Condition of the playground
  
• Falling precipitation (more than a sprinkle or mist)
  

Generally, it is assumed that students will be outside for recess when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Children with certain health conditions may need special accommodations during extremely cold weather. Parents of those children should provide medical documentation and may be consulted to determine if other arrangements are necessary.

In the event that schools need to close early due to an unexpected weather event, please be sure to share with your child how he/she will go home if it is different than their normal dismissal routine.

All parents were asked to indicate how children are to go home in the event of an emergency/unscheduled closing when they completed their Family File information in August or September.

Please review your form to re-familiarize yourself with the transportation choice you made for your child for an emergency closing. Remember you can always make changes, we will review them each time we need to. Chances are one will come along during this winter!