Hollifield Herald
Weekly News - 23rd Edition - 3/2/20
March
- 3/2 - 3/6 - Change Matters Campaign (Don't forget your loose change! Change Matters!)
- 3/6 - Interims Issued
- March 9-March 13: Kindergarten and New First Grader Registration
- 3/3 - Restaurant Fund Raiser- Manor Hill Tavern (See information below)
- 3/20 - Spirit Day - Sports Theme - Wear something that celebrates your favorite sport
- 3/23 - 3/25 - 5th Grade MISA testing
- 3/30 - 4th grade Art Museum field trip
- 3/31 - 5th Grade field trip to Mt. Vernon
- 3/31 - 6:30 p.m. PTA Meeting - HSES Media Center
April 3rd
- 4/3 - 3 hour early closing - End of Marking Period
- 4/6 - 4/13 - Spring Break - Schools & Offices Closed
- 4/24 - Spirit Day - Culture Day - Wear or bring something that represents your culture
- 4/27 - 6:35 p.m. Orioles Game - Camden Yards - Station Singers sing the National Anthem!
Walking Wednesday
No Walking Wednesdays on the following dates due to staff meetings:
March 11, April 29, May 20.
HSES Website: http://hses.hcpss.org/
PTA Website: https://hsespta.org/
Curriculum for coming weeks (Click Here):
Coronavirus Prevention and Response Measures
Dear HSES Families,
There has been a lot of attention in the news and on social media related to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, a new respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. This is an evolving situation, and HCPSS will follow the guidance of the Howard County Health Department who will continue to provide updated information and guidance to HCPSS leadership as it becomes available.
The school system has posted information on the website related to the Coronavirus. There was also a community message that was shared via email yesterday.
It continues to be important that we are all doing everything that we can to keep our children and classrooms healthy. The Howard County Health Department officials have shared several recommendations to ensure that we are taking appropriate and effective actions to stay healthy and prevent the spread of all person-to-person viruses. These precautions also have been shared by the CDC, and include:
1. Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer
2. Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
3. Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
4. Staying home when you are sick
5. Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
6. Cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched objects and surfaces
If you have concerns regarding your child’s health, please contact our health room. Thank you for all of your efforts to help us maintain a safe and healthy school. As always if you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to us.
Sincerely,
Amanda Wadsworth
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten Registration Information
When: Monday, March 9th through Friday, March 13th -- Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Where: Hollifield Station Elementary School
After March 13th registration by appointment only.
We encourage you to visit https://www.hcpss.org/enroll/ to begin your registration online.
For more information call: 410.313.2550
New Email for Parents to Send in Absence Excuses!
New Quick and Easy Way for Parents to Send in Absence Excuses to Hollifield Station!
While parents can continue to send in a paper excuse note to your child’s teacher when your child returns from an absence, we are launching a new email address to receive and archive absence excuse notes. We are encouraging the use of email over paper notes when possible.
Email hsesabsence@hcpss.org.
- Include your child(ren)’s full name in the subject line.
- Include a parent’s full name and phone number.
- Include the date your child(ren) was absent and the reason.
- Include doctor’s notes or other documentation as attachments if needed.
If there is a health issue you would like the teacher and health office to know about, you can use this email address as well.
DO NOT USE THIS EMAIL to notify us of dismissal changes and early dismissals. It is for full day absences only.
We hope that hsesabsence@hcpss.org is an easier way for parents to provide documentation for student absences.
Important School Information and Dates 2020-2021
First Day of School Next Year is August 25, 2020
Budget Process - Next Steps - See the end for important questions!
If you would like to share your opinions about the HCPSS 2020-21 budget, such as maintaining class size, ongoing support for all academic and operational areas or continuing instructional programs at current levels, please contact the County Executive and the County Council.
Please consider testifying before the County Executive to share your opinions about the HCPSS budget. Registration opens February 27; details linked below. If you can’t attend the hearing, you can submit written testimony. A reminder that the County does not fund specific programs (music, G/T, etc) so it’s important that any testimony relates to County’s overall funding of the Board of Education’s requested budget, not support for specific programs.
COUNTY EXECUTIVE: Save the date to come to the County Executive public hearing on the budget. March 12 at the George Howard Building 6pm. Online sign ups available February 27th.
COUNTY COUNCIL: The first public hearing on the operating budget will take place on April 22. More details on registration will be available soon.
Some questions to consider:
How can we increase our revenue to support our schools?
How are the developers in Howard County contributing to the sustainability of our school system?
What laws are in place or could be in place that increases the developers' support of our school system?
How are developers influencing our elected officials? (campaign donations, lobbying efforts, etc.)
Elementary Reminder for Personal Devices
Dear Parents,
As a reminder, at the elementary level, students are not allowed to use personal devices such as phones, ipads or other electronic devices during the school day. We understand that some students may need to bring their phones to school as a means to communicate before or after the school day for safety reasons. However, these devices should remain in the student's backpack turned off during school hours. Unfortunately, we are seeing evidence that students are using their devices in ways that are not permitted during school hours (ex. TikTok videos taken during indoor recess in the school bathroom). The school will provide any devices needed for instructional purposes.
As a parent of an elementary school student, I would also highly recommend some online review sites for some of the apps that students are seen using, such as TikTok. There is strong reasoning against students at this age having access to these apps due to the ability to access adult content. One that I like to use for input is https://www.commonsensemedia.org/. This site has led me to personally prohibit access to my daughter on the TikTok app. I am not recommending one way or another, but wanted to share my experience. Each family decision is very personal, but I know I appreciate hearing from other parents when it comes to new apps or new technology.
We appreciate your support of our elementary policy in regards to personal devices. Again, students can certainly bring their devices to help with safety before or after school, but their devices should remain in their backpacks and on silent or off during the school day.
Thank you in advance for your support!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Wadsworth
Principal, HSES
Concert Schedule for SY 19-20
Spring Orchestra Concert for
Beginning, Intermediate, and
Advanced Orchestras
Station Singers
Thursday, May 14, 7pm
Spring Concert for Beginning,
Advanced and Jazz Bands
Howard County Elementary Jazz Festival
JAZZ BAND
Thursday, May 21 6:30-8:00pm
Enrichment Fair
JAZZ BAND (performs at 7:30)
Restaurant Night
Please bring your family and friends out to the HSES PTA's Restaurant Night on Tuesday, March 3, at Manor Hill Tavern in Old Ellicott City! This Restaurant Night is being held to support the newly-founded Husky Heroes program. Our goal is to raise enough money to buy a starter round custom t-shirts for our Husky Hero volunteers. Please make sure you bring the attached flyer with you to the restaurant - otherwise, your purchase will not be counted towards the fundraiser. A copy of the flyer will be sent home with your student the week before the event.
Details
Where: Manor Hill Tavern (https://manorhilltavern.com/)
3733 Old Columbia Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043When: Tuesday, March 3, 2020
11:00 a.m. until midnight!
What: HSES PTA Fundraiser in support of the Husky Heroes Program
Who: We must have a minimum of 30 tables for the fundraiser, so please bring anyone and everyone! The event runs from open until close, and all purchases (in the restaurant and the bar) count towards the fundraiser. Make sure to bring the attached flyer!
PTA Sponsored - 2019- 2020 Assemblies
Grades: K-5
Author Visit: Chris Barton
Time: All day 3 shows.
Location: GYM
Description: Chris Barton is the author of picture books including bestseller Shark Vs. Train, Sibert Honor-winning The Day-Glo Brothers, and Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions, included on 19 state reading lists. His newest books include Dazzle Ships, the Mighty Truck early-reader series, and What Do You Do with a Voice Like That? The Story of Extraordinary Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. Chris and his wife, YA/middle-grade novelist Jennifer Ziegler, live in Austin, Texas, where Chris has advocated for greater diversity in children's literature by cofounding the Modern First Library program with BookPeople. For more information about him, please visit https://www.chrisbarton.info
Reminder - Distribution of community flyers in schools: Community organizations wishing to distribute flyers must have an approval letter from the Public Information Office prior to distribution. Electronic announcements must also be pre-approved, and will be posted on the Community News and Programs webpage. Please include the following statement in your school newsletter rather than individual community announcements: Please visit the Community News and Programs webpage (http://www.hcpss.org/community-news-and-programs/) for all announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations. Schools should refer any organization requesting distribution to Public Information at 410-313-6682 or publicinfo@hcpss.org.
Hollifield Station Elementary School
Email: amanda_wadsworth@hcpss.org
Website: http://hses.hcpss.org/
Location: 8701 Stonehouse Drive, Ellicott City, MD, USA
Phone: 410-313-2550
Twitter: @hcpss_hses