Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
January 26, 2018 - VOLUME 39, ISSUE 17
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.
January
- 31 - In School Banking, 9:00 a.m.
February
- Black History Month Begins
- 2 - PTA Family Fun Night, 6:30 p.m.
- 2 - NFL Spirit Day
- 5 - School Counselor Week Begins
- 5 - Report Cards Issued
- 7 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- 9 - SNOW DATE - PTA Family Fun Night, 6:30 p.m.
- 13 - 5th grade Parent Preview of Puberty Education, 6:30 p.m.
- 14 - Valentine's Day Parties
- 14 - School Spirit Day - Wear Red or Pink
- 15 - Vision and Hearing Screening
- 16 - No School - Countywide Professional Day
- 19 - Schools Closed - President's Day
- 21 - Pointers Run ES Welcome Meeting (families affected by redistricting), 7:00 p.m. at Pointers Run ES
- 24 - Roller Skate Night at Supreme Sports Club, 4:30 p.m.
- 28 - In-School Banking, 9:00 a.m.
March
- 1 - National Women's History Month Begins
- 2 - Read Across America Day & Dr. Seuss Spirit Day
- 2 - International Night, 6:30 p.m.
- 5 - Kindergarten Registration Begins 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Daily
- 6 - Kindergarten Registration Evening Hours #1, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
- 7 - Interim Progress Reports Issued
- 8 - Kindergarten Registration Evening Hours #2, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m.
- 9 - Career Day (Grades 3-5)
- 14 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
- 15 - Family Math Night
- 22 - Boy's Night Out
- 23 - Grade 1 Field Trip to Toby's Dinner Theater
- 27 - Grade 4 Art Field Trip
- 28 - In-school Banking
- 30 - Schools Closed
From School Administration
Thursday night culminated the Winter Concert series with our Band and Strings Concerts.
We want to thank Ms. DeSantis for leading our Instrumental Music Program. If you could not attend Thursday night's concert, you can view the Band and Strings Concerts on our CCES Twitter feed. Our students made incredible growth from the beginning of the school year to now.
We also want to thank Mrs. Ritchie and Mrs. Whitaker for leading our Chorus and Music Program. Last month's Winter Chorus Concert was outstanding, and we appreciate Mrs. Ritchie for her time and dedication to our Chorus Program.
Our Art teachers, Mr. Schmitt and Ms. Berman, help create an incredible environment for young artists to thrive. If you have not had an opportunity to see student work on display at school, here are a few samples of artwork below. It is amazing to see the outstanding talents of our students as they develop their artistic talents in school.
Kindergarten Art Gallery - Winter
First Grade Art Gallery - Shapes & Patterns
Second Grade Art Gallery - Cityscapes
Artists (L) Liam C, (R) Marco P
Artists (L) Amana F, (R) Ethan G
Artists (L) Alanna K, (R) Jacob N
Third Grade Art Gallery - Winslow Homer, How Do You Help Your Family?
Fifth Grade Art Gallery - Cubism
Staff Spotlight - Miss Rooney
Miss Rooney attended Howard Community College and Towson University. She thoroughly enjoys reading and is an avid NASCAR and Ravens fan. When she is at home, she enjoys hanging out with her toy poodle, Coco.
Career Day 2018
Clemens Crossing Career Day is Friday March 9, 2018. Do you have a job that you like to talk about? Would you like to spark an interest in the next generation? Can you spare an hour or two? We invite you to be part of this exciting day! We are in need of parents to speak to students in Grades 3-5 about their careers. Presenters will speak to individual classes during 30-minute blocks. You may sign up for as many or as few blocks as you like. Our goal is to expose students to a variety of occupations. Whether your child is participating or not, we would love to have you! Please consider sharing your experiences and helping the children to begin thinking about the world of work. If you would like more information, please email our School Counselor,
Ann Rogers at ann_rogers@hcpss.org. To sign up, click here or fill-out the form below.
MAP - Measure of Academic Progress
The Winter MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) Assessment will be administered between January 29th and February 23rd for Grades 1-5. Each grade level will determine the best time for their classes and will communicate that with families.
We use MAP scores to measure and monitor student progress and inform instructional decision-making. After the administration of the Fall MAP Assessments, teachers met with students to review their MAP scores, and they established academic goals. Teachers will meet with students again to celebrate growth and establish new goals after the winter assessment. We encourage each student to do his or her best on the MAP, and we look forward to sharing the information with parents when we issue third quarter report cards.
FINAL Road to Kindergarten Session January 29, 2018
Do you have a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2018?
Is there a family in the neighborhood who has a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2018?
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.
Choose a session that is convenient for you. No session registration required.
Child care is available at each session for children ages 2 and older;
the session is designed for adults only. Doors open at 6 p.m. to allow time for parking, child care drop off, and check-in.
* If Howard County Public Schools are closed for inclement weather, the session is canceled.
Sessions
All sessions will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, January 29
Hammond High School, 8800 Guilford Road, Columbia 21046
For more information, please visit our “Getting Ready for Kindergarten” page
Kindergarten & New First Grade Registration Starts March 5
Clemens Crossing Elementary School. Children who will be five as of September 1, 2018, must enroll in Kindergarten for the 2018-2019 school year.
Registration will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily. There will be two
Evening Registrations available on Tuesday, March 6 and Thursday, March 8 from
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. No appointment is necessary.
You will need to bring the following documents:
- Birth certificate, birth registration or passport.
- Current immunization record - must be a print out from the pediatrician and signed.
- Deed or lease to your home
- Current utility bill
- Photo ID of parent/guardian registering the student
Please visit the Howard County Public School System website for complete information about enrollment and registration.
PLEASE NOTE: Families in the River's Edge neighborhood will need to go to Pointers Run Elementary School to register for Kindergarten.
FROM THE HEALTH ROOM
Vision and Hearing Screening - February 15
Our annual Vision and Hearing Screening will take place on Thursday, February 15.
Vision and Hearing Screenings are required for students in Kindergarten and First Grade. Your child will also be screened if they are new to the state of Maryland school system.
A letter was sent home last week with additional information regarding this annual screening.
If you have any questions, please call the Health Room at 410-313-5069.
Most importantly, if your child wears glasses or contact lenses, please make sure they wear them to school on screening day!
Youth Day in Annapolis
Check out this awesome opportunity for students to learn about how the government works. This is not a school sponsored activity, but it is still a wonderful opportunity.
Giant Food A+ Rewards
Clemens Crossing Elementary earns cash every time you shop at Giant Food Grocery Stores and use your Giant card. All you need to do is register your card online and designate CCES as your school of choice (school ID: 01008) through Giant's A+ School Rewards Program. Follow the steps below to register your card and designate CCES as your school today:
- Visit www.giantfood.com/school-rewards/ and select the purple box that says "Log in to get started."
- Log-in or follow the prompts to create your online account. You will need your 12-digit Giant Card number.
- (If you don't know your Giant card number, call 1-877-366-2668, Option #1)
- Under the "Rewards and Savings" tab, follow the prompts to designate Clemens Crossing Elementary as your school. You will need the School ID # for CCES, which is 01008.
- If you need assistance selecting your school, call or email the A+ Hotline at 1-877-275-2758 or askaplus@cranecommunications.com
NOTE: If you registered your Giant card last year - you do NOT need to re-register. CCES will automatically start earning money from your purchases once the program begins this school year!
The A+ rewards program has been going on for three months now and will continue through March 15. Please be sure to register your card if you have not done so already. Visit the Giant Food A+ Rewards website to register. Last year this program earned more than $4,600 for our school!
Don't forget to encourage your friends and family members to register their cards for CCES, too!
Front Office Notes
Office Hours
Early Dismissal Reminder
before 3:15 p.m.
Visiting or Picking-up Students at CCES
All visitors to Clemens Crossing must bring a driver’s license and sign in on our LobbyGuard visitor management system. Details regarding this mandatory process are explained in Superintendent Michael Martirano’s blog.
Additionally, we require a picture ID when you pick-up your child early from school.
Feedback From the CCES Community
The electronic feedback form below goes directly to Mr. Cosentino, Clemens Crossing Principal. For any urgent issues, call the school at (410) 313-6866 or email Mr. Cosentino directly at ecosentino@hcpss.org. Thank you for your feedback!
Turn In Box Tops for Education
Clemens Crossing receives cash for your Box Tops! Remember to cut them out and send them in with your child. Each grade level has a collection bin -- the more Box Tops your grade brings in, the more cash your child's class receives! Box Tops are collected all year-round. The next shipment will go out in late February, so please send in what you have by Feb. 9 and then keep sending them in for the remainder of the year for the next shipment.
Questions? Contact Angela Stark, stark.angela@gmail.com
Please join the PTA and the CCES community for a night of FREE family fun on Friday, February 2nd from 6:30-8 p.m.!
A DJ will coordinate dancing and games, and ice cream will be served in the cafeteria.
(We need just 6 volunteers for this event to help distribute the ice cream in half-hour shifts (2 per shift). Please email Denise Giuliano at denisegiuliano5@gmail.com if you are able to help.)
PTA Skate Night at Columbia Skate Arena at Supreme Sports Club
Saturday, Feb 24, 2018, 04:00 PM
Supreme Sports Club, Deepage Drive, Columbia, MD, United States
Donations of Classroom Supplies
It's almost Halfway Day! At the halfway point of the school year, the PTA Staff Appreciation Committee would like help to re-stock the classrooms with extra supplies.
If you would like to donate items, please send extra supplies to school by February 2.
There is a drop-off box marked School Supplies located in the front lobby. Feel free to bring the supplies in yourself or send the supplies in with your child.
Teachers request these supplies most often:
Tissues, Clorox wipes, Hand Sanitizer, glue sticks, stickers, Sharpies, Expo dry erase markers, Post-It pads, Ticonderoga pencils, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, AAA batteries. Thank you!
International Night
Mark your calendar for the biggest cultural event of the school year. CCES International Night will be held on March 2nd, 6:30 p.m. in the Gymnasium. For the first hour, families get a chance to visit different country tables and experience various foods, traditions, music, henna, and crafts. At 7:30 p.m. in the Cafeteria, there will be an Indian Bhangra Dance Performance and Workshop by JHU's Blue Jay Bhangra. Last year we had tables representing Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Moldova, Nepal, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Romania, South Korea, and Taiwan. If you are able to host a table or help with the event, sign up through this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090448a4a928a46-international2.
Feel free to send any questions about the event or volunteering to jkashim@gmail.com or katjevans@yahoo.com.
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.