Veterans Elementary Eagle Express
September 26, 2019 - Volume 13, Issue 4
Soar to Excellence!
School Mission
Veterans Elementary School promotes life-long learning by embracing its diversity, providing students with dynamic classroom experiences and exposing them to the cultural arts in a climate that is rigorous, safe, nuturing and respectful.
Veterans Elementary School
Amy Green, Assistant Principal
Derek Lewis, Assistant Principal
School Start and Dismissal Times: 9:25 a.m. - 3:55 p.m.
Email: robert_bruce@hcpss.org
Website: ves.hcpss.org
Location: 4355 Montgomery Road, Ellicott City, MD, USA
Phone: 410-313-1700
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Important Upcoming Dates and Events
SEPTEMBER
- 30 - Schools and Offices Closed
- 1 - Fall MAP Testing Opens Gr. 1 thru 5
- 3 - PTA Ice Cream Social, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
- 8 - Q1 Interim Report Cards sent home
- 9 - Schools and Offices Closed
- 10 - Field Trip - RECC Classes to Clark's Elioak Farm
- 10 - PTA Board Meeting, 7pm Media Center
- 16 - Flu Clinic
- 18 - School Closed for Students/ Professional Work Day
- 23 - Fall Picture Day
2019-20 HCPSS Calendar - Monthly Format
Click to download and print the HCPSS calendar in a monthly format. The calendar will no longer be distributed in first day folders. The 2019-2020 School Calendar is available to be printed online: https://www.hcpss.org/calendar/
FROM THE HEALTH ROOM
Flu vaccines coming to our school! It's not too late to sign up online!
This year's VES Flu Vaccine Clinic will be on Monday, October 16. If you would like your child to receive the flu vaccine, you may sign and return the paper consent form that will go home with your child OR you may register before October 4 online at www.vaccineconsent.com
Please do NOT do both the paper and the online registration.
Please contact the Health Room with any questions.
Thank you and here's to a healthy school year!
Important Links for Attendance and Transportation Changes
Attendance Notes: Please send all attendance notes to VESattendance@hcpss.org.
An absence note is required for every absence, within 24 hours of your child returning to school. When your child returns, if you are unable to send the message via vesattendance@hcpss.org please send a note to his/her classroom teacher. The note should include:
- Your child's first and last name
- Your child's grade
- Your child's homeroom teacher
- The date of the absence
- The reason for the absence
Extended Absences: If your child will be absent for more than 3 days, please fill out an HCPSS Extended Absence Form and send it to the front office: https://www.hcpss.org/f/aboutus/absence_request.pdf
Accommodations for Religious Observance:
If a religious observance requires a student to miss all or part of a school day, parents should complete the Religious Obligation: Request for Absence form and submit the request to the principal/designee documenting the need for the absence. Requests should be submitted, whenever possible, at the beginning of the school year. Absences for religious holidays will be considered a lawful absence either for the day or any portion of the day.
DISMISSAL TRANSPORTATION CHANGES: VEStransportation@hcpss.org
The school should be notified whenever a child’s dismissal transportation changes.
Please send all Transportation Changes on the day it applies to by 2:00 p.m. It is very difficult to keep track of changes during dismissal of almost 1000 children outside of this time frame.
Note that an Early Dismissal is not considered a transportation change.
Early Dismissals are considered an Attendance issue.
current events
FALL AND WINTER CLOTHING GIVE AWAY!
Saturday, Oct 26, 2019, 09:00 AM
North Laurel Community Center, Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel, MD, USA
afterschool sponsored activities
supersquads cheerleading team
Our SuperSquads Cheerleading Team starts Tuesday, September 24
After school cheerleading starts 9/24 at Veterans Elem for the Fall Session!
Contact www.supersquads.org, supersquadsinfo@verizon.net or 410-796-2244 to join!
VIKING 5K Trail and Fun Run! Sunday, Oct 6 9:00am
Hold the date and register early for the 27th Annual Viking 5K and Fun Run! Come out for lots of prizes and awards for age groups and Mt Hebron High School community categories (Alumni, Faculty, Parents and Students!). The course is fun and the same as last year, through the school, the neighborhood and trail. Early registration helps us prepare enough Tshirts for all registrants! For more details Please see the Viking Backers WWW page: http://www.vikingbackers.org/viking-5k-race-details.html
School Meal Program
https://hcpss.nutrislice.com/menu/veterans?mode=browse
Please keep your child’s lunch/breakfast accounts up to date:
https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/login/getmain?requestAction=home
If you owe money on your account, your child will be served an alternate lunch which is at a reduced price.
Student Breakfast
The procedure for morning breakfast is for students to go directly to the cafeteria to get their breakfast once they enter the building at 9:15 am. and take it to the classroom.
Breakfast – $2.00
Alternate Breakfast – $1.00
Reduced Price Breakfast – $0.20 (Find out how to qualify)
Student Lunch
Milk (1/2 pint) – $0.50
Elementary School Lunch – $2.75
Middle/High School Lunch – $3.25
Reduced Price Lunch – $0.30
(Find out how to qualify https://www.hcpss.org/food-services/ )
For information related to setting up your child’s lunch account and how to apply for Free or Reduced Priced Meals, please go to:
HCPSS SCHOOL GUIDE RULES
There are several documents which are no longer printed by the county
The 2019-2020 Student Parent Handbook will be available by mid-September online as well. You may reach the Student Code of Conduct now at the following link:
https://www.hcpss.org/f/aboutus/student-handbook/student-code-of-conduct.pdf
The Board of Education directed that HCPSS initiate a system-wide school Boundary Review, which could potentially impact any or all of the 74 comprehensive schools in our county beginning in the 2020-2021 school year. Please be sure to visit the boundary review page on the HCPSS website for more information, resources, a timeline, and ways to participate and provide input.
The 2019-2020 Student Parent Handbook will be available by mid-September online as well. You may reach the Student Code of Conduct now at the following link:
https://www.hcpss.org/f/aboutus/student-handbook/student-code-of-conduct.pdf
Cell Phones:
Parents are reminded that cell phones may not be carried by students during the school day. We ask that students place cell phones in their backpacks in the “off” mode.
Ringing cell phones cause a distraction to the instructional day. Parents usually provide a cell phone concerned about student safety on the way to and from school. The phones are for emergency use only. Due to concerns about inappropriate cell phone use on the bus, we ask students to keep these in their backpacks while on the bus as well.
HCPSS Student Registration Information
School Bus Riders
Bus Locator: http://hcpss-gis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=06528401636a4a48b1ef681c66a61a07
Riding buses to which you are not assigned can cause capacity issues on the bus. The Transportation Office must approve any deviations from the established assignment.
hcpss mandatory volunteer form
Thinking of chaperoning a field trip or volunteering in a classroom?
Please take the mandatory trainings regarding "Child Abuse and Neglect Report Procedures" and "Confidentiality Training Course" before you do! This is an annual requirement and only takes 5 minutes per training.
Parent/Guardian Visits:
Parents often want to come to school and eat lunch. These are the procedures for having Lunch with your children.
1. Verify the lunch schedule for the day. Usually, the lunch schedule is as follows:
11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Kindergarten
11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Grade 1
12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Grade 3
12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. - Grade 2
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Grade 5
1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Grade 4
2. Come to the Front Office with your Driver’s License, sign into LobbyGuard to obtain a visitor pass.
3. Wait in the lobby until your child’s assigned lunchtime then proceed to the cafeteria.
4. Upon the conclusion of lunch, please sign out and return your pass to the office and depart.
5. Please note that visits at Recess are not allowed to due to student security concerns.
Sometimes parents wish to observe in their child’s classroom. We invite all parents in during American Education Week. If you have a reason to observe at other times, follow these procedures.
- Teachers must have 24 hours’ notice before a visitor comes to their classroom.
- Notify the teacher of your desire to visit at least 24 hours in advance. Notification can be by email, phone call, or note to the teacher and once confirmed, you may visit.
- Upon arrival inform the office of your pre-arranged visit, sign in and get a pass.
- Please go directly to the observed teacher’s classroom. Please do not disturb instruction. This is an observation, not an appropriate time for a conference. A conference should be pre-arranged if needed.
- Upon completion, please return to the office and turn in your pass and depart.
Permission to visit a classroom is not permission to roam through the building. Please help us to keep your students feeling safe.
School Parking Lot Tips:
1. When you drive onto the lot and see the school electronic sign, all school buses will turn to the right. No cars should go to the right. Parents wishing to drop students off go to the left-hand side along the curb.
2. Students stay in the car until they reach the curb of the front door. Students exit the car from the curbside, never on the driver’s side.
3. Do not drive down another aisle. Students would have to cross significant traffic as car traffic is diverted once individuals drop their child off at school to these aisles.
4. Please be patient. Everyone waits in the same line. Everyone is trying to get to work. If you have a concern about waiting, please place your child on the school bus. The line will move if everyone cooperates.
5. Do not park along the curb in the parent drop off lane or bus loop. Park in an officially designated spot if you must leave your car.
6. Never leave a car unattended in the parent drop off lane.
7. Please drive no faster than 10 mph. We are a school zone.
8. The Howard County Police do enforce the spots for Handicapped Parking. Please do not park here unless you have an active permit visible.
https://www.veterans-pta.com/membership.html
The VES PTA works to support the students, teachers and families by sponsoring activities to enrich, educate and bring our community together. Click here to view their website!
Ice Cream Social
Even though school has started, summer isn’t over yet. Join us for a last blast of summer fun at Veterans Ice Cream Social! The date is Thursday, October 3rd from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Let's celebrate the new school year with ice cream, popsicles, games, and music. We need your help to make the event a success.
Please sign-up to volunteer: