Fulton Flier
Week of October 26th
Wow, this past weekend was packed with excitement! The PTA hosted an online KidzArt class on Saturday and concluded the weekend with a virtual fun run. I enjoyed my 5K in the crisp fall air. I hope that you and your family had an opportunity to participate in either the KidzArt class, the Virtual Fun Run, or both. Thank you to our PTA for finding ways for us to connect, step out of our normal routines and do something fun with our community.
I can't believe we only have 2 weeks left of our 1st quarter. If you have questions about your child's grades and/or completed work please reach out to your child's teacher. Our Fulton staff are eager and happy to support all students in the completion of their asynchronous work; we are an email away.
Warmly,
Dr. Burks
Falcon Gazette
We are so excited, that even virtually, we are able to continue our Falcon Gazette; which is a newspaper for our students written by our students. All 4th and 5th grade students show off their journalistic talents and aspirations by contributing- may it be a joke, poem, short story, interesting fact, joke, photo, etc. Twice a month, we will include our Falcon Gazette in our Fulton Flier as well as post on our website and Grade Level Canvas pages for students to enjoy.
Our publications give students the opportunity not only to express themselves creatively, but also to learn the logistics of producing a distributed publication in print or online. Whether as writers or producers, our students continuously rise to the challenge to craft interesting, thoughtful, and creative publications.
Enjoy our first edition of the 2020-2021 school year here.
Google Meet Expectations
Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue to provide instruction virtually. I am proud of the way that our students have persevered and the levels of engagement they have demonstrated.
To maintain a positive, productive learning environment and assure confidentiality for students and teachers during virtual learning, students and parents/guardians are asked to continue following the guidelines and expectations detailed on the HCPSS website.
Parent/Teacher Conferences- Save the dates!!!
Beginning November 13th families will have the opportunity to schedule a conference with their homeroom teacher with a focus on language arts. Teachers who solely teach Gifted and Talented Math (i.e., Mrs. Friedman and Mrs. Kanter) will meet with families of the 4th grade math students this semester. They will meet with the families of the 5th grade math students in the 2nd half of the year. Mrs. Borowy will meet with her Language Arts Students in the fall and her Gifted and Talented Math students the second half of the year. Related arts will have open office hours for any questions you may have, and that schedule will be shared closer to conferences. All of our conferences will be virtual and each teacher will develop their own schedule between the dates of Monday, November 23rd and Wednesday, November 25th; as such not all teachers may be available for all dates and times. More information will be sent out closer to November 13th about how to schedule a conference.
The first marking period ends on November 6th and report cards are issued on November 16th.
Spring Semester Planning
Last Thursday, October 22 Central Office shared with the BOE metrics that would allow us to safely return to school buildings and criteria that would be used to signal the need to revert to a virtual model. Superintendent Martirano’s preliminary remarks and the full presentation are available online.
Additionally, we heard from many of you that the initial community survey lacked an opportunity for you to add comments, ask questions, etc. Like Fulton, Central Office, values your input- as such, they have created a new email option for parents/guardians, students, staff and other stakeholders who wish to provide input and feedback to the Board regarding the spring semester instructional model. Please email feedback to spring-input@hcpss.org. The Board will review all emails; however, due to the anticipated volume, individual responses should not be expected.
Central Office will present a hybrid model for the Board’s consideration on November 5, and the Board is scheduled to take action on the second semester instructional model on November 19.
Dates to Remember
- November 3rd: Schools and offices closed- Election Day
- November 4th: FES Coffee House Opens 8:00am-9:00am
- November 6th: 3 hour Early Dismissal (Professional Work Day); End of 1st marking period
- November 7th: PTA Pure Barre Pop-up Class, Lager Farms, Fulton 8:30am
- November 8th: PTA Thumak Bollywood Virtual Dance Class
- November 10th: Virtual PTA Meeting 7:00pm
- November 16th: Report Cards Issued (In order to get your report card and to register for conferences you MUST have your Family File completed.)
- November 23rd: 3 hour Early Dismissal (Parent/Teacher Conferences)
- November 24th: 3 hour Early Dismissal (Parent/Teacher Conferences)
- November 25th: Schools closed for students (Parent/Teacher Conferences)
- November 26th-27th: Schools and offices closed (Thanksgiving Holiday)
Worth Repeating
Opportunities to connect with other Parent/Guardians in your child's class
A huge thank you goes out to our room parents, who are gearing up to build those social connections for parents and for students. Because the teachers cannot provide parents with other parents’ contact information, we need your help! Please complete this form so your room parent has your information for virtual play dates, virtual parties or other virtual social gatherings! We don’t want you or your child left out of the classroom community and fun!
Calvin Ball's Annual Toys for Tots
We are happy to announce that County Executive, Calvin Ball, will continue to host his annual Toys for Tots event. While they are still working out the logistics (day/time/location of pick-up), to protect the safety of everyone, this distribution event will be hosted as a drive-thru event.
If you are not receiving holiday assistance from another community source, and would like us to register you, please complete the Calvin Ball’s Annual Toy for Tots Registration form using the request link below. Your request must be received by October 28th and submissions made after this date cannot be accepted.
Once you have registered and the logistics are finalized, you will receive an email confirmation with pick-up detail. It is encouraged to “like” the HoCo ToT Facebook page, where they will begin to post up-to-the minute information soon.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Jessica Wilson-Carr at jessica_wilson@hcpss.org.
A message from our Bully Busters
Please dig out your favorite pink shirt to wear to school on Friday 10/30!!
Battle of the Books
We are excited to partner with the Howard County Public Library and Howard County Public Schools to promote reading, teamwork, vocabulary and good sportsmanship through the Battle of the Books. This year the event will be presented in a virtual format and we have shared this information with all 5th grade students during their media class!
- Teams of 3-5 students and one adult coach each read the same 11 pre-determined books.
- Students must have a coach that will be responsible for registration and attending the mandatory meetings.
- Thanks to generous sponsors, all teams receive a set of books. In addition, copies of each year's titles are available for borrowing at the Howard County Library System.
- More information about how the virtual event will run are forthcoming.
Other Important Dates:
- Oct. 23 – Nov 6, 2020: Online Registration for BoB *Registration will close on Nov 6 or when capacity is reached, whichever comes first
- Nov. 18, 19 & 21, 2020 Mandatory Coaches’ Meetings via Zoom Curbside pickup of books
- Mar. 23, 24 & 25, 2021, 7:00 pm Mandatory Logistics Meetings for coaches via Zoom
- April 16, 2021 Battle of the Books!.
Our Media staff can answer any questions you might have. If you are interested in coaching a team please contact Mrs. Cerand (lcerand@hcpss.org) or Mrs. Fischer (margaret_fischer@hcpss.org ) so they can support your enrollment in this great program.
More information can be found by visiting.
http://hclibrary.org/a-students-teachers/battle-of-the-books/
Howard County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay, Poster and Oral Competitions
The Howard County Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission is hosting an elementary school poster contest. This is a great opportunity for our students to express themselves orally, in writing, or on poster.
The deadline for the poster, video, and/or essay is October 30 at 5:00 p.m. Each applicant must submit an application and their submission by the deadline, to be eligible for the cash prizes.
The contest is open to all Howard County Elementary School students. Visit https://tinyurl.com/y62zdevk for official contest rules and an application.
Do you have a 4th or 5th grader who loves to dance?
Fulton Elementary School
Molly Caroland, Assistant Principal
Leslie Brickner, Assistant Principal
Email: tanisha_burks@hcpss.org
Website: fes.hcpss.org/
Location: 11600 Scaggsville Road, Fulton, MD, USA
Phone: 410-880-5957
Twitter: @hcpss_fes