Dear Parents,

On Saturday December 3rd, I had the opportunity to get up and go to Columbia Gateway to see our Veterans Girls On The Run start their 5K run. First of all, it was a rainy and dreary day but you would not have known that by watching our girls arrive at the event. Our girls were prepared, ready, and anxious to participate in their run. They were exhibiting what I hope every Veterans student exhibits, a powerful commitment to completing their task. This is a strong group of thoughtful and powerful young ladies who braved the elements to represent Veterans Elementary School. We are so proud of their efforts !

Just a reminder that next Wednesday December 14th , school will close 3 Hrs. Early for students. Students will be dismissed at 12:55 pm. Also the same day, our third graders will have their Choral Concert at 7:00 pm that evening at Veterans Elementary School. Please watch for the music department's directions for students.

CogAT Testing for grades 3 & 5 will take place on the following days and times:

Grade 5

December 6th, 7th and 8th at 10:45AM - 12:05PM

Grade 3

December 12th, 13th & 16th at 2:30PM - 3:50PM

Wednesday, December 14th

3rd grade Winter Chorus Concert at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, December 20th

4th/5th Grade Strings evening concert at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, December 21st

4th/5th Grade Band evening concert at 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, DEC 23RD

Winter Break Fun at VES!!! Show off your favorite pajamas!!

Computer Science Week is December 5th-11th! HCPSS students have a leg up on the majority of the country with the integration of weekly Instructional Technology classes in their related arts schedule. Our students begin their Computational Thinker units over the next few weeks and the whole school will be participating in Hour of Code activities next week.

The Hour of Code began as a one-hour coding challenge to give students a fun first introduction to computer science and has become a global learning and awareness event. Computer science is changing every industry on the planet. HCPSS believes that every 21st-century student should have the opportunity to learn how to create technology. Computer science concepts also help nurture creativity and problem-solving skills to prepare students for any future career.

Want to get the whole family excited about coding? Click here to explore a variety of coding activities.

Work with Special Needs students to meet requirements of their IEP plan, under the direction of a Special Education Team Leader. Some experience working with children or disabilities is preferred. Some college coursework is helpful in Education, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology or related fields. Please contact Mrs. Liwosz or Mrs. Redd on 410-313-1700 for more information. Use this link to begin your application.

We are looking for caring and compassionate individuals to assist students with disabilities who require direct adult supervision throughout the school day. The position works under the daily supervision of the school administration and under the direction of a special education teacher and/or a classroom teacher. Some experience working with children is preferred. Below are details regarding the position.

• Temporary Employee (TE) positions are with Social Service Consultants, Ltd.

• Compensation is $15.00 per hour

• The hours are 9:25 AM – 3:55 PM Monday-Friday

To apply, please email Robert Tencher at rtencher@gmail.com to request an application packet. Please specify that you are interested in working at Veterans Elementary School. Contact Alexcia Redd at alexcia_redd@hcpss.org when you have completed all parts of the application.

Parent-Guardian is responsible for their child's supervision until the VES school doors open 9:15 a.m. in the morning.

Do not leave your child unattended prior to 9:15 a.m.

For the safety and security of the children - parents/guardians are not allowed to board and pull their child/children from a school bus at any time, especially during our dismissal.

Transportation :

Intent for Transportation for 2022-2023 School Year

HCPSS posted online and emailed all families a request that they indicate their transportation intentions for the 2022-2023 school year. This information will help guide transportation initiatives, hiring of drivers, planning routes and more.

HCPSS electronic School Messenger

Once you have created an HCPSS Login Account/ ParentVue upon completing the student registration, you will automatically be part of our email communication, School Messenger.

We are “green” and do not send hard copies of newsletters and other notices, so your electronic connection to the school is important even over the summer.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions about Enrollment and Registration

See Policy 9000, Student Residency, Eligibility, Enrollment and Assignment

For additional information or questions, please contact your anticipated school of enrollment.

PREPARE FOR THE FIRST DAY:

• School Start Times
• Before- & After-school Care Options
• School Meals
• Transportation
• Find out what your child will learn at HCPSS

Upcoming Events:

Holiday Shop - 12/8th 6:30-8pm

Reflections Art Contest - All submissions in by 12/16th

Updates:

Our Fall Reading Fundraiser has come to an end. Thank you to all the staff, students and families that helped and participated. We raised $4,012 in total. The top 3 fundraising classes are Ms. Franks, Ms. Grassi and Ms. Corba! The top 3 reading classes are Ms. Grady-Johnson, Ms. Chong and Ms. Shin. Great job VES!

Thank you to everyone who donated and supported the Sponsor a Staff Dinner! We had a big turn out in donations. We were able to provide a variety of quesadillas and tacos with rice and beans from Ernesto's and ended the meal with cupcakes.

Thank you to our VES community for all your support at the Book Fair! It was truly a joy to watch our children and families come through the book fair with so much excitement. Special thanks to Celine Castillo, Andrew Burkowske, Hiral Bhalani, Joanna Hokama, Haritha Nagabandhi, Hannah Kaufman, Tina David, Erin You, Erin Vernon, and Helen Hoepfner for helping to set up and run the Book Fair. Thank you to all the families that donated their change to All for Books. We were able to purchase 13 books from teacher’s wish lists, and made sure that every teacher who filled out a wish list received at least one book. The fair was a great success and we look forward to the next one in May!

The Holiday Shop - December 8th 6:30-8pm

The Holiday Shop for Students is December 8th and we are busy planning a wonderful night for family to gather and let their little ones shop for holiday family gifts.
If you would like to help at the event please sign up below! We have many slots and options available.

Signup for Parent Vendors: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0448adab2baafb6-holiday
Signup for Volunteers: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0448ADAB2BAAFB6-holiday1

Please reach out to helen.hoepfner@gmail.com with any questions and look for more details about the event itself! We will be sending home flyers and emails!

REFLECTIONS NATIONAL ART CONTEST

"Show Your Voice”... is the 2022-2023 Contest Theme

Veterans Elementary will participate in this year's Art Reflections Contest led by the National PTA. All students are encouraged to explore and express themselves using the theme " Show Your Voice”

Categories include: Dance Choreography, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, Visual Arts.

The Submission deadline will be December 16th.

Submission forms were sent home last week.

If you would like to participate, but art supplies are a financial burden please reach out to the PTA at reflectionsves@gmail.com.

Join the PTA!

We have 178 members so far! We are over 1/2 of our way to our goal of 300!

Your membership helps fund events for the kids and staff like the back to school party!

https://veterans.memberhub.store

Paper membership forms already came home. Turn those into your child's teacher if you want to pay by cash or check.

Join a PTA Committee!

Lend a hand!

Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45ABA72DA4F5C43-ptacommittee

Follow us on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/PTAatVES

Support us on Amazon Smile:

Search Veterans Elementary School PTA to assign us as your charity

Smile.Amazon.com

Select "your account". Select "change charity"

Search for our name.

Please note: Bus routes for the 2022-2023 school year will not be published until mid-August.

Parents of students who will be riding the bus are invited to check the Bus Locator tool on the HCPSS website. To use the tool, type in your home address. The cross on the map represents your child’s bus stop. On the left-hand side of your screen, you will see the bus stop location, contractor information, bus number, and morning arrival/afternoon drop-off times for your child’s bus. This tool will also tell you if your address falls in our walk zone.

Families of students who receive specialized transportation will receive information about your child’s bus schedule directly from the bus contractors.

SNAP BENEFITS

SNAP Benefits-Emergency Allotments Flyer-English

Apply for SNAP Benefits today-Flyer-English

Apply for SNAP Benefits Today-Flyer-Spanish

Grocery Delivery Flyer-English

Grocery Delivery Flyer-Korean

Grocery Delivery Flyer-Spanish

The COVID-19 pandemic has made this an especially stressful time for many, especially those already impacted by mental health concerns. Find information about local and online resources for counseling and mental health supports for you and your family on our website.

Will your child be 3 years old by September 1, 2022?

Do they want to go to Veterans Elementary School, just like their siblings and neighbors?

Learning Together Program – Prekindergarten

The Veterans Elementary Regional Early Childhood Center (RECC) prekindergarten programs are making preparations for classes for the upcoming 2022-23 school year. These classes include children with and without disabilities. The program’s focus is helping all children develop communication, literacy, math, problem solving, motor, and social skills. Parents of children who will be 3 by September 1st( born between 9/2/18– 9/1/19 ) may learn more about the program by reviewing the Learning Together Program (LTP) Flyer (English).

• Learning Together Program (LTP) Flyer (Chinese)
• Learning Together Program (LTP) Flyer (Korean)
• Learning Together Program (LTP) Flyer (Spanish)
  
  If you need assistance to complete the application, please contact Early Intervention Services at earlyinterventionservcies@hcpss.org or at 410-313-7017.

HCPSS is committed to providing instruction based on the statewide Early Learning Standards which are in alignment with Kindergarten Readiness. The fees listed in the application will be collected monthly regardless of the learning model determined by HCPSS throughout the upcoming school year (virtual, hybrid, or in person). If you have any additional questions, please email Mary Jens at mary_jens@hcpss.org