Dear Parents,

The vast majority of our students are great kids. Once in a while there are children who feel it is okay to abuse public use facilities because no one suffers. That is simply not true. There are a small group of children who have made a decision that it is okay to trash our restrooms. Please discuss with your children the need to preserve and use appropriately public facilities. It is not fair to our students who abide by the rules to try and use a facility with inappropriate things done to the inside of a bathroom. It is also not fair for my wonderful custodial staff to have to clean up after these poor decision-makers. Of course, it is not fair for any of my staff to have their time occupied by a few students who insist that this does not hurt anyone. We appreciate when individuals bring us information about these individuals. Please impress on our students that respect for school and public property is essential for the public good.

This message is primarily for the parents whose children have unsupervised access to social media, through cell phones, ipads, and computers. There is a growing number of incidents when children come to school upset by what another child has said on social media. Now this rarely happens during school time but occupies school time due to the effort expended by staff to resolve the issue or redirect a lesson to accomplish why you send your children to school. Cell phone use along with any recording device is prohibited from use while on a school bus or during school time, from the time they enter the school bus until the time they arrive home. This includes devices that run off of cell phones such as smart watches. Ask your children to share the last five exchanges on social media with you. After all, if you are paying for the device you have the right to supervise it. I am encouraging parents to check up on their children's use of social media for their own safety and well-being. Please know that our policy on cyberbullying prohibits the use of devices to bully other students.

Our staff will address both of these issues at school and hope you support us by addressing them at home.

On a lighter note, our students thoroughly enjoyed the Pajama Parade last Friday. This was their idea and the staff that planned it did a fantastic job. We thank Ms. Wentz and Ms. Wilson-Carr. Next week, we will return to our annual Spelling Bee competition in preparation for sending a representative to the Howard County Spelling Bee later in the year.

Parents, please understand that weapons of any kind are prohibited from school. Students in possession of a weapon or any item used as a weapon are subject to disciplinary action. The safety of your children is crucial to us. Any information relating to the possession of a weapon will be investigated. Please understand that students who possess items that can be used as weapon as a result of scouting activities and they bring the item to school, is still in violation of our weapons policy.

January 27, 2023 - Conference Scheduling opens at 8 am and closes February 3, 2023 at 4 pm.

Conference Scheduling Directions

Recess Update: The Office of School Safety and Security and Risk Management, in collaboration with School Management and Instructional Leadership, reviewed county wide practices regarding school visits and it has been determined that parents are not able to attend recess. Parents can continue to eat lunch with their child(ren) if they complete the following:

• Go to the HCPSS Web site to review information about the school system volunteer process.

• Review the “Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Procedures Online Training” PowerPoint.

• Sign the Certificate of Completion for the “Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Procedures Online Training” form and provide it to the school when signing in.

• Review the "Confidentiality Training for Volunteers" PowerPoint

• Sign the Confidentiality Agreement and provide it to the school when signing in.
• Sign in at the front office using the Lobby Guard sign-in system (a valid photo I.D. must be provided).

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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:

Staff Wish List Donations - 1/11th -1/25th
1st Grade Stuffed Animal Drive - 1/24th-27th

PTA Zoom Link below (Monthly) - 2nd Monday 7-8pm

February Parent/Teacher Conference Dinner - TBD

Teacher Supply Wish List - 1/12th-1/25th

It's that time of year when our teachers are running low on supplies, so we have asked them for their wish lists, attached in the link below. Please take a moment to look it over and if you would like, kindly make a donation. You can donate to any teacher you would like and send the supplies with your child or mail directly to the staff member at school. Also, please note in the spreadsheet which donations you provide so that we can keep track. PLEASE CLICK ON THE EMBEDDED LINK ON THE LIST TO PURCHASE THE ITEM YOU WISH TO DONATE. Thank you for your help!

If you have any questions please email Tina David at tdavid981@gmail.com

First grade is hosting a stuffed animal drive - 1/24th - 1/27th
Do you have stuffed animals at home that you no longer need? Bring in any gently used stuffed animals to donate during the week of January 23rd. There will be a labeled drop-off bin in each ELA. The last day to donate will be Friday, January 27th. Let’s see how many smiles we can create with our donations!

Volunteers - Help Needed

We need some volunteers to help dry the stuffed animals and deliver them to Zackary's Hugs located in Elkridge. We will have 3 different pick up dates. They will be checked and bagged for you to take after 12pm. Please take them home and place them in a hot dryer for 15 minutes and then deliver to Zackary's Hugs (6415 Euclid Ave. in Elkridge) at your convenience. Please sign up HERE

Monthly PTA Meeting - 2nd Monday at 7-8pm

Topic: Veterans PTA Zoom Bridge

Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime

Join Zoom Meeting

https://wbd.zoom.us/j/96489896426?pwd=REF0UGlGMXNiNmpETjk5UlR0M0plZz09

Meeting ID: 964 8989 6426

Passcode: 927705

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,96489896426#,,,,*927705#US (Washington DC)

+16469313860,,96489896426#,,,,*927705#US

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