What's Quackin' at Sussex?
Sussex Newsletter * February 2023
Message from the Principal
We hope your 2023 has started off happy and healthy! We are super excited for the second half of our school year. Below, you will find lots of important dates through the month of April. Please be sure to mark your calendars!
Currently, our newsletter is distributed on this virtual platform in an effort to support BCPS Go-Green initiatives. Printed copies of the newsletter are often multiple pages in length and do not provide access to links. However, if you and your family would prefer a printed copy of the newsletter, please call the main office and request a copy be sent home with your student or email me, jszymanski2@bcps.org.
Please be sure students are bringing their charged, BCPS devices to school each day. Students use devices to enhance learning and complete assessments. Currently, students are taking the MAP assessment and will need their fully-charged devices!
We continue to remind families about expectations during arrival and dismissal. We continue to receive communication from concerned community members regarding safety during arrival and dismissal. We remind all our families to follow Maryland traffic laws when coming to and from school to pick-up/drop-off your student. We ask that you not block driveways when you arrive for dismissal. In an attempt to make dismissal safer and more efficient, we are asking for all car riders to line up on Woodward Drive. No vehicles should be entering the car rider line from Cedar Avenue. We understand that our school community is ever-growing and our parking lot is not; however, we must call on our virtues of patience and flexibility to ensure the safety of our students, buses, community members, and you! We appreciate your cooperation as we continue to try to make dismissal safer and more efficient for everyone.
Please remember that Ms. Bissell and I are here to serve you and welcome your communication. The best way to reach the administrative team is via phone to the main office, 443-809-0182, or email at jszymanski2@bcps.org and mbissell@bcps.org. If, at any time, you feel you have not received a response from the school, please call and ask to speak with me directly or email me directly.
Sincerely,
Ms. Szymanski
BCPS Calendar & Upcoming Sussex Events * Save the Dates
Friday, February 17th * Interim Date
Interims available in FOCUS! Be sure to check your student's grades in FOCUS or Schoology!
Monday, February 20th * BCPS Schools & Offices Closed
Presidents' Day
Friday, March 17th * BCPS Schools & Offices Close 3-Hours Early
Sussex dismissal at 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday, February 21st * Family, Fun, & Fitness Night at Sussex
Join us for Family, Fun, & Fitness Night at Sussex! The fun-filled event will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a special vocal performance by our kindergarten students at 5:10 p.m. and 'Fitness & Fun' rotations beginning at 5:30 p.m. See the flyer below for more information.
Friday, March 24th * End of Third Marking Period- 3-Hour Early Dismissal
All BCPS schools close 3-hours early for students. Sussex dismissal at 1:00 p.m.
Spring Break
Spreak break begins at the end of the school day on Friday, March 31st. Friday, 3/31, is a regular school day. Schools reopen on Tuesday, April 11th.
Tuesday, April 11th * BCPS Schools & Offices Re-open!
Wednesday, April 12th * Marking Period 3 Report Cards Go Home!
Be sure to check your student's bookbag for his or her 3rd quarter report card!
Friday, April 21st * No School for Students
BCPS system-wide professional development day; no school for students.
Tuesday, April 25th * Pre-school & Pre-kindergarten Conference Day
No school for students in pre-school (Ms. Rodriguez's class) or pre-kindergarten (Ms. Riley's classes).
Wednesday, April 26th * Pre-school, Pre-kindergarten, & Kindergarten Conference Day
No school for students in pre-school (Ms. Rodriguez's class), pre-kindergarten (Ms. Riley's classes) or kindergarten.
Family, Fitness, & Fun Night at Sussex
COVID Test Kits Provided by BCPS
- Stop by the main office between 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. to pick-up a test kit for your student. The test kit must be picked-up by a parent/guardian or an adult listen in FOCUS as a contact for your student. The adult picking-up the test kit must show photo ID.
- Email Ms. Betty, emartin2@bcps.org, requesting that a test kit be sent home with your student. These requests must be made my parents/guardians. If you are emailing a request for a COVID test kit, the email must come from an email in our system (FOCUS) for your student- This allows us to confirm identify and relationship to the student.
- Call the main office, 443-809-0182, to speak with Ms. Betty to request a COVID test kit be sent home with your student. These requests must come from parents/guardians. Ms. Betty will confirm a parent/guardian is calling by using caller ID to match a phone number listed in FOCUS or by asking to hang up and call you back from a number listed in FOCUS.
Please note: If you are requesting that a test kit be sent home with your student, please be advised that there may be chemicals or components in the test kit that are not safe to be used by children. COVID test kits are not designed to be opened/used by children. All COVID test kits sent home will be placed unopened in your student's bookbag.
If you have any questions, please contact the main office to speak with Ms. Betty or Ms. Szymanski.
We need your opinion: Spring School Dance?
BCPS Stakeholder Climate Survey
The BCPS Stakeholder Climate Survey is now open! BCPS wants to hear from all stakeholders- that means you! The survey is open today through March 3rd.
The survey is available in many, many languages and is anonymous. All Sussex staff and students in grades 3-5 will have the opportunity to complete the survey. Please be sure to take a few minutes to share your input as a parent or guardian! The link is embedded below!
If you have any difficulty accessing the survey, please call the school and we will be happy to help!
Sussex Community Promise
Students continue to earn QUACKS for showing the virtues in our Community Promise! At the end of each month, we have our Final Friday celebrations where classes that have earned 100 QUACKS are invited to participate in a school-wide celebration. Be sure to ask your student how he or she is earning QUACKS each day!
School Hours
Dismissal begins at 4:00 p.m. * Early dismissal ends at 3:40 p.m.
Early Dismissal * Photo ID Required, Procedure Changes, & Ending Time (Repeat)
Per BCPS Policy and for the safety of all students, photo ID is required when picking-up students. For the safety of your student, your child will not be released unless a photo ID can be presented by the individual picking up. Please be mindful that this includes parents and guardians. As we welcome many new staff members to Sussex, there may be new faces when picking up your child- Please do not assume someone will be able to recognize you.
Students Called to Office Upon Arrival
For the safety of students and to minimize the loss of instructional time, students will be called to the office for early dismissal once the adult picking-up the child arrives at Sussex. All adults picking-up students must come in to the main office and show photo ID.
Early Dismissal- Ending Time
To ensure all students are dismissed safely, all early dismissals will end at 3:40 p.m. This will help alleviate any miscommunication or confusion at the end of the school day. If you are picking a student up for a doctor appointment, please be mindful of the 3:40 p.m. end time for early dismissal.
Nurse's Corner
Food Allergies
Food allergies occurs when a food is ingested, and the body identifies it as a danger which triggers a protective response. The most severe food allergic reaction is called anaphylaxis. This is a medical emergency requiring immediate attention by calling 911. It not treated immediately, it can be fatal. Someone may not know they are allergic to a food until it is ingested. Please teach your children the importance of not sharing food at school to prevent an emergency.
Stomach Aches at School
Stomach aches have been occurring frequently at school after lunch. This has been linked to students eating spicy foods they are bringing from home, such as spicy Doritos, chips, or Takis chips. Please try to eliminate these foods while the students are in school.
Dental Care
Dental cavities is a common, chronic disease that causes pain and discomfort in children. Cavities can impair growth, cause weight loss due to pain when eating, and cause harmful effects on the overall social and emotional aspects of life. Cavities can lead to severe health complications if not treated by a dentist, such as facial swelling, infections, heart conditions, and abscesses.
Dental cavities can be prevented by teaching your child to brush his/her teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. It is important that you watch your child, especially children younger than 6 years old, to ensure that they are properly brushing their teeth. Encourage your child to drink water with fluoride!
Your child should see a dentist when he/she starts school and then every six months for a dental check-up. Routine check-ups can help prevent your child from suffering from pain due to dental cavities.
Below is a list of dentists in the surrounding area that accepts pediatric patients.
Eastern Family Resource Center can help a parent get care if uninsured.
410-887-2781
Dental Hygiene Clinic at CCBC Dundalk
7200 Sollers Point Road Dundalk, MD 21222
443-840-3495
University of MD Dental School
650 W. Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-706-4213
Sussex Elementary School
Website: https://sussexes.ss3.sharpschool.com/
Location: 515 South Woodward Drive, Essex, MD, USA
Phone: 443-809-0182
Twitter: @Sussex_ES