Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
April 6, 2018 - VOLUME 39, ISSUE 26
Clemens Crossing Elementary School
Elizabeth Yankle, Assistant Principal
Website: cces.hcpss.org
Location: 10320 Quarterstaff Road, Columbia, MD, United States
Phone: 410-313-6866
Facebook: facebook.com/ClemensCrossingElementary
Twitter: @hcpss_cces
Events Coming Up
visit cces.hcpss.org/calendar.
April
- 12 - Kindergarten Field Trip to B&O Museum Baltimore
- 13 - End of Third Quarter - Early Dismissal at 12:45 p.m.
- 17 - PTA Restaurant Night - Chipotle in Fulton
- 18 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- 20 - PTA Talent Show, 6:30 p.m.
- 23 - Report Cards Issued
- 25 - In-School Banking
May
- 1 - Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Begins
- 1 - Girls Night Out, 6:30 p.m.
- 3 - Boys Night Out, 6:30 p.m.
- 7 - Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week Begins
- 9 - National School Nurse's Day
- 9 - Visiting Author: Chris Barton
- 9 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- 10 - Kindergarten Field Trip to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore
- 10 - Spring Strings Concert, 6:30 p.m.
- 10 - Spring Band Concert, 7:30 p.m.
- 14 - Volunteer Appreciation Celebration, 2:30 p.m.
- 15 - Rube Goldberg Celebration
- 17 - Interim Progress Reports Issued
- 17 - Spring Carnival, 5:00 p.m.
- 18 - Schools are Open for a half day- Inclement Weather Make-up Day #4
- 18 - CCES dismisses at 12:45 p.m.
- 21 - Schoolwide Showcase (Science Fair, Enrichment Fair, PTA Reflections, and Classroom displays), 6:30 p.m.
- 22 - Middle School Visitation, 9:30 a.m.
- 23 - Spring Chorus Concert, 7:00 p.m.
- 24 - Field Day (Rain date on 5/25)
- 28 - Memorial Day - Schools Closed
- 30 - 5th Grade - Simulated Congressional Hearing
June
- 15 - Last Day of School
- 15 - Schools are Open for a half day- Inclement Weather Make-up Day #5
- 15 - CCES dismisses at 12:45 p.m.
From School Administration
Happy Spring! It seems that Mother Nature is taking us on a roller-coaster of changing temperatures. It’s nice to see the grass getting a little greener and the skies a little bluer even though snow is still in the forecast!
As Spring moves in, all of us have a bit of extra energy. The excitement of summer vacation two months away is upon us. Please take a few minutes to review our school common expectations of being respectful, organized, achieving, and ready. Your help and reinforcement support us in making it to the end of the year while keeping our strength of character intact! With more daylight time students are able to benefit from more fresh air in their day and we encourage all of our students to be active during recess and after school. As the temperatures are a bit all over the place, please be sure to check the weather and make sure your child is dressed appropriately.
Spring is also another wonderful time in a school year to celebrate! We begin to truly reflect on our experiences and how much we have grown. As educators, we celebrate the gains our students have made and begin to start thinking about how we can serve them in the year to come. We encourage you to lead your child in reflection about their school year and support them in their own personal goals, not just for school and academics, but also consider other aspirations they may have. Maybe they would like to run a race or become a better ball player, set a goal to read 10 books during summer vacation, or maybe they aspire to be more adventurous or brave by trying something new!
It's hard to believe that we are in the homestretch! Third through fifth graders will be taking the PARCC assessment during the next quarter. We are so proud of how hard the students have worked to show us their best! A special thank you to Mrs. Yankle for her help and support in making sure our testing is running smoothly. Specific dates are listed below for PARCC.
This month I would also like to give a special thank you to all of our volunteers. There is no real adequate way to thank you for all that you do for our little school. Your time, care, dedication, and love for both children and education is appreciated and we are beyond grateful every day for all of you! We are blessed to have so many parents, grandparents, and even the support of many former teachers during the day and after school enriching the experience of our students and providing them with some extra practice and support. No matter how big or small your contribution, from chaperoning a field trip to helping on a regular basis, we appreciate you.
Staff Spotlight - Mrs. McCue
46th Annual Spring Student Visual Arts Exhibition at the Mall in Columbia
Tuesday, Apr 10, 2018, 09:00 AM
The Mall in Columbia, Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD, USA
Congratulations to the following students who will have their artwork on display at The Mall in Columbia during the annual Visual Arts Exhibition.
Kindergarten
Olivia Ashton, Henry Bagrosky, Tequan Barnes, Laura Cowperthwaite, Mikhail Khan, Helen Moreland, Landon Robinson
First Grade
Nathan Brewer, Nirvaan Dash, Jameson Laney, Ava Neugroschel, Claudia Pantano,
Colton Pax, Cole Van Leer, Juli Williams, Isaac Wilson
Second Grade
David Cho, Zoe Pang, Marco Platino, Taylor Smialowicz, Zachary Werner
Third Grade
Natalie Aballo, Emily Cheung, Victoria Jaramillo Martinez, Sebastian Kolb, Sarayu Kopparapu, Elina Par, Ayana Williams
Fourth Grade
Angelina Gizdova, Brandon Jeon, Gavin Lampasone, Natalie Werner
Fifth Grade
Victoria Edwards, Natalie Evans, Trazarie Gladden, Kaelyn Krozy, Moses Nicholson, Ryne Pingaro, Bethia Thattil, Bryan Wang
PARCC Assessment
The PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) is an annual assessment given to all third, fourth, and fifth grade students. It is the state assessment that measures student progress in both ELA and Math. Testing for each grade will be held in the morning, approximate time is two hours. Actual testing time is 60 to 90 minutes, with extra time allotted for directions and computer log in and set up.
Please make every attempt to have your student arrive on time each day of testing. Please try to avoid appointments and absences during the days designated to your child’s grade level. Thank you so much for all you do at home to ensure a positive testing experience.
Fifth Grade:
ELA April 24,25,26 & MATH May 7,8,9,10
Fourth Grade:
ELA April 27, 30 May 1 & MATH May 11,14,15,16
Third Grade:
ELA May 2,3,4 & MATH May 17, 21,22,23
Girls Night Out
Science Fair 2018
Your child is invited to participate in this year’s Science Fair on Monday, May 21 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. during the Clemens Crossing Elementary School Showcase.
The Showcase will highlight the remarkable things our extraordinary students have done this year at Clemens Crossing Elementary School. The Science Fair, GT Enrichment Fair, PTA Reflections, and Classroom Displays are all part of the annual showcase.
If your child is interested in doing a Science Fair Collection, Investigation, or Invention at home, please download the attachments below or visit the Clemens Crossing Elementary School website to download documents for one of the three different types of science fair projects. Students may work individually or in groups. Once your child has identified a project, please complete the online form titled, “Intent to Participate.” That form is also included below. Students who elect to participate will have their name read on the morning announcements and their name printed and hung on a hallway wall display. Directions on where and when to bring in the projects will be shared individually with participants and in future Cougar Comments and by email correspondences. We are excited to highlight the commitment shown and the hard work done by the CCES students this year. Many thanks for all of your support at home and in the building this year.
Types of Science Fair Projects
· Students in Kindergarten, First, or Second Grade may submit a Science Collection.
Students will collect and organize something of interest answering questions related to observations made while exploring their world.
· Students in any grade may conduct a Science Investigation to answer a question/problem. Students will use The Scientific Method to learn the systematic approach to solving a problem.
· Students in any grade may submit a Science Invention. Students will use the engineering design process to create an invention that will solve a problem or answer a question.
April 6 is the Final Day to Register for PTA Talent Show
Calling all performers! Register now for the annual CCES Talent Show!
** IMPORTANT INFORMATION **
Performance is Friday, April 20, 6:30 p.m.
MANDATORY Dress Rehearsal is Thursday, April 19, 6:00 p.m.
Acts must be 3 minutes or less
FRIDAY, APRIL 6 – REGISTRATION DEADLINE (This is an online form)
FRIDAY, APRIL 13 – DEADLINE TO SUBMIT SCRIPTS FOR ALL POETRY/COMEDY/SPOKEN WORD ACTS
FRIDAY, APRIL 13 – DEADLINE TO SUBMIT MUSIC (MP3 MUSIC FILES ONLY)
Please submit all poetry / comedy / spoken word scripts and MP3 files via email by April 13 to Talent Show Coordinator Andrea Nelson (axpnelson@yahoo.com).
Click this link or the button below to register http://www.clemenscrossingpta.org/talent-show
10 Tips for Building Resilience in Children and Teens
We all can develop resilience, and we can help our children develop it as well. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned over time. Following are tips to building resilience.
Make connections
Teach your child how to make friends, including the skill of empathy, or feeling another's pain. Encourage your child to be a friend in order to get friends. Build a strong family network to support your child through his or her inevitable disappointments and hurts. At school, watch to make sure that one child is not being isolated. Connecting with people provides social support and strengthens resilience. Some find comfort in connecting with a higher power, whether through organized religion or privately and you may wish to introduce your child to your own traditions of worship.Help your child by having him or her help others
Children who may feel helpless can be empowered by helping others. Engage your child in age-appropriate volunteer work, or ask for assistance yourself with some task that he or she can master. At school, brainstorm with children about ways they can help others.Maintain a daily routine
Sticking to a routine can be comforting to children, especially younger children who crave structure in their lives. Encourage your child to develop his or her own routines.Take a break
While it is important to stick to routines, endlessly worrying can be counter-productive. Teach your child how to focus on something besides what's worrying him. Be aware of what your child is exposed to that can be troubling, whether it be news, the Internet or overheard conversations, and make sure your child takes a break from those things if they trouble her. Although schools are being held accountable for performance on standardized tests, build in unstructured time during the school day to allow children to be creative.Teach your child self-care
Make yourself a good example, and teach your child the importance of making time to eat properly, exercise and rest. Make sure your child has time to have fun, and make sure that your child hasn't scheduled every moment of his or her life with no "down time" to relax. Caring for oneself and even having fun will help your child stay balanced and better deal with stressful times.Move toward your goals
Teach your child to set reasonable goals and then to move toward them one step at a time. Moving toward that goal — even if it's a tiny step — and receiving praise for doing so will focus your child on what he or she has accomplished rather than on what hasn't been accomplished, and can help build the resilience to move forward in the face of challenges. At school, break down large assignments into small, achievable goals for younger children, and for older children, acknowledge accomplishments on the way to larger goals.Nurture a positive self-view
Help your child remember ways that he or she has successfully handled hardships in the past and then help him understand that these past challenges help him build the strength to handle future challenges. Help your child learn to trust himself to solve problems and make appropriate decisions. Teach your child to see the humor in life, and the ability to laugh at one's self. At school, help children see how their individual accomplishments contribute to the wellbeing of the class as a whole.Keep things in perspective and maintain a hopeful outlook
Even when your child is facing very painful events, help him look at the situation in a broader context and keep a long-term perspective. Although your child may be too young to consider a long-term look on his own, help him or her see that there is a future beyond the current situation and that the future can be good. An optimistic and positive outlook enables your child to see the good things in life and keep going even in the hardest times. In school, use history to show that life moves on after bad events.Look for opportunities for self-discovery
Tough times are often the times when children learn the most about themselves. Help your child take a look at how whatever he is facing can teach him "what he is made of." At school, consider leading discussions of what each student has learned after facing down a tough situation.Accept that change is part of living
Change often can be scary for children and teens. Help your child see that change is part of life and new goals can replace goals that have become unattainable. In school, point out how students have changed as they moved up in grade levels and discuss how that change has had an impact on the students.
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Note: The Public Information Office encourages all community organizations to distribute notices electronically through this online resource. However, organizations may choose to distribute printed documents, such as the 2018 Parent Guide, through student backpacks, etc. per the provisions of HCPSS Policy 10010. For more information, please refer to Distribution Guidelines for Schools. Contact the Public Information Office with any questions, at 410-313-6682 or publicinfo@hcpss.org.