Dear Parents,

We are off from school on Monday to celebrate Presidents' Day. School will resume on Tuesday February 21st.

We will begin the process of "bagging" items in our Lost & Found. If your child has lost a jacket , umbrella, or anything else, ask them to check one more time. These items will be held here until Spring Break and then will be donated to charity.

MAP testing will occur for Grades 1-5 over the next several weeks. This is an opportunity for your children to show us what they know. Measures of Academic Progress is administered several times during the year depending on grade level and the number of other assessments that are given. I want to compliment our teaching staff who do a wonderful job of reviewing these results to plan their lessons. February is a quick month so keep encouraging your child to do well in school and make their third quarter their best yet !

On Monday, Christylez Bacon performed for our students. Mr. Bacon is a Grammy nominated performer. Mr. Bacon also known as the Human Beat Box, presented an entertaining program to our students focused on finding their own talents. The PTA Cultural Arts Committee provided the program and we thank everyone who supports the PTA for these programs.

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. Threats to bring a weapon are also serious. Our students need to feel safe and secure to learn. Parents, please help us to educate your child that in today's environment it is our responsibility to make everyone feel safe and secure.

The picture above was updated as of Thursday 2/2/23 . A new collection of Lost & Found has begun and we already have some new items. We kindly ask all parents to please label the belongings of your children, regardless of age. We were able to track down two students due to labeling. This is especially true for jackets and coats as we get to the unpredictable temperature season. These are the current items on our Lost & Found stand. If something looks familiar, please claim it. Any items not claimed by Thanksgiving Break, Spring Break, and the end of the year will be donated to an area charity. We will bag these items to clear our Lost & Found area, these items will still be available at school until the end of March.

Pink Shirt Day started in 2007 when a 9th grade boy in Nova Scotia, Chuck McNeill, was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. David Shepherd and Travis Price (12th grade students in the same school) organized the first Pink Shirt Day by giving away 50 pink shirts to others kids at school who all wore pink to show support for the bullied student.

Ever since, kids around the world have celebrated Pink Shirt Day each year by wearing pink to school as a symbol that they will take a stand against bullying.

Wear PINK this Wednesday, February 22.

On Thursday, February 23rd, we will be hosting a Mix it Up at Lunch event during student lunches. For more information about what Mix it Up Day is and why we're doing it at VES, see HERE.

Marybeth Di Cristofaro- Grade 4- in Ms. Getsinger's class was chosen to be one of the Mix 106.5’s Johns Hopkins Radiothon ambassadors for 2023. This is one of Johns Hopkins’ biggest fundraisers, and all of the proceeds will be going to children who are sick and who need medical care. Johns Hopkins will take over mix 106.5’s airwaves from February 23 Thursday through February 24 Friday from 7 AM to 6 PM. Our family’s live interview will be held on February 24 Friday anytime between 2 to 3 PM. If there is no radio available, you can always download the Audacy app for free and search for mix 106.5.

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.

REPEAT...
PARENTS/GUARDIANS, YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO BOARD SCHOOL BUSES.

See an Administrator or Front Office Secretary for assistance!

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:

PTA sponsored Cultural Arts Assembly - 2/13th

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

Mix It Up Day Volunteers Needed - 2/23rd

5th grade Tshirt & Donations - Ongoing

Cultural Night (date change) - March 9

STEM Fair - April 27

A special thank you to the Choi, David, Vernon, Kennedy, Lim, Sai-Palm, Kohout, Pavshe, Montagna, Watson, Grassi, Rambharat, Wang, Lynch, Fessler, Hoepfner, Simmons, De Marco, Roby, Yoo, Gagliardi, Whittington, Castillo, Atesh, Johnson, Narayana, Hokama, Vernon, Chen, Chung, Senthil, Fox, Denne, Wheeler, Mazumdar, Drudul, Recksiek, Watson, Tsang, Lim, Yee, Moore, Prodoehl, Nikita, Hong, Kyle, Georgetti, Gonzalez, Randall, Finkelstein, Wilson, Adornetto, Palabrica, and Jeon families for your generous donations to the staff list.

If you missed the window and would still like to donate, please email your child's teacher directly.

PTA Sponsored Cultural Arts Assembly: Christylez Bacon "The Human Beatbox" - 2/13th

On Monday, VES students will enjoy a PTA sponsored assembly featuring Christylez Bacon, a Grammy-nominated Progressive Hip-Hop artist who combines rhyming, storytelling, and interactive call and response choruses with diverse instrumentation (West-African Djembe drum, human beatboxing). This high-energy program teaches students about improvisation and the cultural diversity of various musical genres, blending traditional elements of musical styles from jazz to hip-hop.Students will learn about the elements of improvisation and ensemble performance and explore a range of tone qualities, rhythms, and musical genres. The program will demonstrate how music can be created using the most basic materials such as an artist’s own voice and body. Make sure to ask your children about the assembly when they get home from school on Monday!

Mix It Up Day - 2/23rd VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Mix it Up at Lunch is Thursday, February 23rd. The goal of Mix It Up day is to get kids talking with kids they might not know. During the Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade lunch shifts the School Counselors are looking for parents to help get the kids to their different lunch tables and also facilitate conversations amongst the students using conversation cards. We would love to have 12 parent volunteers for each lunch shift below.

If this is your first time volunteering THIS school year, please complete the following volunteer requirements before 2/23rd. The links are in the sign up.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e45aba72da4f5c43-mixitup#/

Planning Committee Volunteers Needed

Cultural Night committee - Email Joanna Hokama - jcbalz@gmail.com

STEM Fair Committee - Email Bethwooddenne@gmail.com

5th grade T-shirts & Donations

A flyer was sent via canvas. Please check your announcements from the 5th grade team. We have begun the tshirt process and can’t wait for you to see it.

Here is the link to purchase the T-shirt & to make your donations:

$15 - T-shirt

$15 - recommended donation per student

MemberHub

veterans.memberhub.com

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

Follow us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/PTAatVES

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.

Mt. Hebron Viking Backers Summer Camp Registration Now Open!

The Mt. Hebron Viking Backers are excited to announce online registration for Summer Camps is OPEN! Click this link to see all of the details and to register your student now.

We kick-off the summer camp season in early June while school is still in session, and new camps will be offered each week until early August. Please note, the volleyball and football camps in early June will be conducted in the evenings.

We welcome campers entering kindergarten through 9th grade for the 2023-2024 school year (check our website for specific camp requirements), and we invite "Future Vikings" as well as students that will attend other high schools to sign up. Varsity coaches will run the camps, and each camper will receive a 2023 summer camps t-shirt. Details are also available on our website regarding a sibling discount as well as a discount for HCPSS staff with campers in their household.

Specific Camp Questions? Each coach's email address is listed on the Viking Backers website, and to receive the quickest response we request camp-specific questions be sent directly to them. Any general questions about camps can be sent to summercamps2023@vikingbackers.org.

Other Questions? If you are interested in learning more about the Mt. Hebron Viking Backers, or if you are interested in getting involved right now, next year, or beyond ... in any way ... small or big ... please don't hesitate to visit our website or email Zack Rose at president@vikingbackers.org.

FARMS Applications: Applications for the Free and Reduced Meals program for the school year 2022-2023 are available online in multiple languages and paper copies are available at all meal sites, effective 9/8/20. Please use this document for strategies for increasing FARMs awareness and participation.

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, 2023?

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 2023-24 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 9/2/19– 9/1/20 ) 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