Hollifield Herald
Co-Vid19 5/10/20
Third Week of Virtual School
Dear HSES Families,
On May 6th, Dr. Salmon announced that due to health and safety concerns, MD schools will remain closed for the rest of the year. This decision creates many mixed emotions for our staff, students and families. There is a great sense of sadness and disappointment over the loss of many special events. We miss seeing our students every day, and we know that our students miss the staff. However, we want you to know that we are committed to ensuring that our students continue to engage in quality on-line learning, feel connected and supported. Over the next several weeks, we will be looking for ways to celebrate our students, especially our 5th graders heading off to middle school and those students that will be leaving us through redistricting. We will share more information in the near future. In the meantime, continue to be kind to yourselves, stay safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Amanda Wadsworth
Principal
Aaron Tark
Assistant Principal
Erin Coleman
Administrative Intern
Some Good News
Carson Scholarship Winner --- Krithi Bemgal
Congratulations to fifth grader Krithi Bemgal in Mrs. Wright’s homeroom class for being chosen as a Carson Scholarship winner! The Carson Scholarship Fund awards college scholarships to students in grades 4-11 who excel academically and are dedicated to serving their communities. Scholarship winners receive the honor of being named “Carson Scholars” and are awarded an Olympic-sized medal and a trophy for their school to celebrate their accomplishments.
Krithi has participated in the gifted and talented program at HSES for several years, is a kind and compassionate leader in her classroom, and holds leadership roles in the building by being a School Safety and participating in Earth Force with Mrs. Speelman. She is also an active member of her Girl Scout troop that went above and beyond by making blankets for local homeless shelters. Congratulations Krithi! We are so proud of your hard work and dedication to your academics and your community!
Week 2 - Beauty in Art
School Buildings Closed for the Remainder of the 19-20 School Year
Please review part of Dr. Martirano's email from May 6th:
"Since the initial closure announcement, HCPSS staff have been working on contingency plans. Now that the decision has been announced regarding the remainder of this school year, there are several updates that we will be providing to you in the near future. These include updates related to the process to enable students and staff to retrieve any items left behind in schools and offices. In addition, as we receive further guidance from MSDE regarding summer school programs and other instructional items, those details will be provided to you. We will continue to review our COL instructional model, looking to learn from our teachers about opportunities for enhancement."
The updates Dr. Martirano were referring to in this message will be provided to the HSES community as soon as they are available.
Change In Student Check-In Schedule Beginning May 18th
As shared in Dr. Martirano’s message yesterday, elementary schools will soon offer additional opportunities for student-teacher interaction based upon feedback from teachers, administrators, and parents. Beginning May 18th, the elementary distance learning schedule will include the opportunity for all students to attend both an English Language Arts Check-In and a Math Check-In each week. On Monday, you will receive an email from your child’s teacher explaining which check-in will be designated for ELA and Math each week
Virtual Student Visit Days – Redistricted Students
As shared in Dr. Martirano’ message this week, our students and families attending a new school for the 2020-2021 school year are invited to a Virtual Student Visit Day to meet school administrators and learn more about their new school community. Please save the dates below. Your child’s new school will be sending additional information regarding specific times for virtual visits.
· May 18: Redistricted rising 1st and 2nd graders
· May 19: Redistricted rising 3rd-5th graders
· June 8: All rising 6th graders
News from our School Counselors:
The HCPSS Elementary School Counseling Connection Newsletter (Issue 2) is a great resource for students and parents to read together. Included in the School Counseling Connection newsletter are celebrations, activities for home,and self-care ideas.
HCPSS Elementary School Counseling Connection Newsletter Issue 3
Tip of the Week
To help ensure your work is submitted and to avoid log in issues the next day, remember to log out of your DreamBox and Lexia Core at the end of the day.
Previously Shared Information
Free Grab N Go Meals at HSES
Free Grab-N-Go meals are served weekdays from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. to anyone age 18 and under and/or any HCPSS student at Hollifield Station Elementary. Participants are encouraged to bring bags to carry meals home. Please note that parents/guardians may pick up meals for their children, who do not need to be present. Social distancing is in place during meal distribution.
Reminder: Incoming Kindergarten and New Student Online Registration continues
UPDATE: Due to the COVID-19 school closures, please begin your registration process online below and upload the required documents:
Front Office Support
The front office staff is still working to provide support to our parents during this time. Below is a quick reference guide on whom to contact regarding specific questions. If your question is not addressed below, feel free to reach out to either one of us. We regularly monitor our emails and will get back to you promptly.
Attendance
School attendance will now be measured through participation in the various continuity of learning activities posted by your student's teacher.
For questions regarding attendance contact
Rachel_Maddock-Cosden@hcpss.org
Technology device delivery and returns
Registration/Address updates
Meal service
Forgotten user name or password resets:
https://hcpss.me/account-self-service/
Using Forgot Password/Username functionality on an HCPSS Chromebook. While on the Chromebook’s login screen, click on Apps in the lower left corner. Select HCPSS Self-Service from the menu.; A webpage will open.
hcpss.me
Change in Canvas Completing Weekly Tasks
Canvas pages and tasks for Science, Social Studies, and Health will have a link for students to visit to mark the completion of the weekly task. The link on the page will appear as a button to students. When the student clicks the “button,” it will take them to a single question box. Here, they will select “yes” and click “Submit,” indicating that they have completed the task. This will appear on assignments the week of May 4, 2020.
The task will be counted as complete by the appropriate teacher. Students are to be trusted that they completed the task so long as the complete box has been clicked. Submission of an assignment is a “P" (or pass) in content and related arts. Students will receive a “P” for the quarter if approximately 50% of the assignments are completed from the week of May 4 - the week of June 8, 2020.
If students are not completing content assignments, families should be notified, so students have an opportunity to complete tasks.
On Monday, May 11, 2020, the K-5 related arts pages will also have a link for students to mark the completion of the task. Prekindergarten assignments will also have the links at this time.
Reminders about LexiaCore5 and Dreambox
We are so proud of how hard our students are working on their eLearning tasks! As was shared by your child’s ELA and Math teachers, HCPSS recommends using LexiaCore5 and Dreambox for 15-20 minutes daily. Teachers are actively monitoring your child’s progress, and will remain in communication with you if your child needs support. Additionally, please continue to monitor your child’s minutes while using these applications, as it is important to balance instructional experiences with the amount of screen time students have each day. Thank you very much for supporting your child’s virtual learning!
PTA - Next Year's Board
Interested in being a part of our PTA next year? Think about it, and if you are, contact the PTA President, Shamaa Ahmad-Talha at hses.pta.prez@gmail.com. We know you are busy so take care of your family and life, but this is a "think about" item to keep in mind as life gets a little smoother.
Hollifield Station Elementary School
Email: amanda_wadsworth@hcpss.org
Website: https://hses.hcpss.org/
Location: 8701 Stonehouse Drive, Ellicott City, MD, USA
Phone: 410-313-2550
Twitter: @hcpss_hses