Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
February 17, 2017 - Volume 38, Issue 12
Parent/Teacher Conferences Coming Up
Parent/teacher conferences are scheduled for March 9 and 10. Parents will be meeting with their child's mathematics teacher. In order to schedule conferences, you will need to login to HCPSS Connect. Click the Synergy icon to access your child's conference schedule. HCPSS Connect will open to schedule conferences on Monday, February 27 at 9:00 a.m. The program will be open until Wednesday, March 8, at 9:00 a.m. Reference guides are available on the HCPSS Connect website if you need help. If you have any questions, please call the front office at 410-313-6866.
Kindergarten Registration Week - February 27 through March 3
Kindergarten registration starts on Monday, February 27 for the 2017-18 school year. Kindergarten is mandatory in Maryland so if your child turns 5 by September 1, 2017, you must register them. Parents or guardians are to register students at the school currently serving the address where the child's parent or guardian resides. Parents may check the School Locator link on the school system website, http://www.hcpss.org to verify their school placement. Please pass this information on to neighbors and friends who have a child who will be eligible for kindergarten.
Although no appointment is necessary, we ask parents/guardians to register during the following hours:
- Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Special Evening Hours on February 28 and March 2 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
You will need to bring the following documents to register:
- Birth certificate, birth registration or passport.
- Current immunization record - must be a print out from the pediatrician and signed.
- Deed or lease to your home.
- Current utility bill with name and address (gas and electric, cable bill, non-cellular phone)
- Photo ID of parent/guardian.
- Proof of parental relationship, custody, or guardianship. If applicable, bring legal court orders.
JA in a Day - Volunteers Needed
We are very excited to continue our partnership with Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. Junior Achievement is a worldwide organization that has local chapters throughout the United States including Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. Junior Achievement offers a variety of programs including JA in a Day. JA in a Day is an initiative that allows parent and community volunteers to teach all of the lessons of Junior Achievement’s six elementary school programs in an effective one-day effort. Our JA in a Day at Clemens Crossing will take place on Wednesday, March 15, 2017.
During the course of JA in a Day, students will learn about various aspects of financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship. For instance, students in second grade will learn about “Our Community” and will have a chance to see how money moves through a community, creating jobs, and generating tax proceeds that pay for schools, parks, and streets. In fifth grade, students will study “Our Nation,” where they will begin to learn about economic concepts such as opportunity cost and supply and demand. The themes and concepts align with social studies topics in addition to many other connections to our curriculum.
We want to thank the PTA for helping secure volunteers for this initiative. They are coordinating two volunteers for each classroom for a total of 48 volunteers school-wide. We would like to have all of our volunteers scheduled by the end of February. The volunteers will teach five lessons throughout the day, and they will bring real-world background and experiences into the lessons. All volunteers will receive a kit of hands-on materials and lesson plans tailored to their assigned grade level during a mandatory training session. New volunteers must attend one of two training sessions prior to JA in a Day. If you volunteered last year for JA in a Day, the training is optional. The training sessions will take place on Monday, February 27 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. or Monday, February 27 from 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
The success of the program is based upon the volunteers in our school and our community. To learn more about Junior Achievement and JA in a Day, please visit Junior Achievement of Central Maryland’s website at https://jamaryland.org. If you are interested in volunteering for JA in a Day, please email Mrs. Mary Ngo at m_a_ngo@yahoo.com. We also attached some frequently asked questions for you to review below. JA in a Day is shaping up to be an exciting and engaging day for all of our students, staff, and volunteers!
iXL Mathematics and Language Arts
We recently added a whole new menu of language arts topics on IXL this week. In addition to mathematics skills, students can practice important language arts skills. The same iXL login will give access to both the math and language arts topics. When students login to iXL, they now have the language arts menu of skills for their grade level. This program is a great way to practice basic skills in language arts and math. It provides immediate feedback to students. If a wrong answer is chosen, the program will explain the error. This is far better than workbooks or worksheet, and it will be available throughout the school year and summer.
One great feature of iXL is the ability for parents to track their child's progress through email alerts. You can get email alerts when your child meets a goal or a milestone on iXL.
To set up email alerts, login to iXL, click your child's name in the upper right-hand corner, go to profile & settings, add your email address, and check the box to receive news flash email. You can access the iXL login here. Your child should have his/her login information. If you need your child's login information, please feel free to email your child's teacher or Mrs. Rausch at amanda_rausch@hcpss.org.
Keep Family File Current
Volunteers Needed for the PTA International Night
International Night is Friday, March 3rd from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This year we have tables representing Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Moldova, Nepal, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Romania, South Korea, and Taiwan! Country tables are full, but we are still looking for volunteers to help with decorating, crafts, and clean up. If interested, please email Katie at katjevans@yahoo.com or click on this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090448a4a928a46-international1. Your help is greatly appreciated!
Winter MAP Reports
Photographing, Videotaping, or Audiotaping in Schools
Parents have a right to expect a certain level of protection and privacy for their children while they are in the care of HCPSS. As a protective measure, parents and others who are not school employees who intend to photograph, videotape or audiotape students in school or on school grounds during the regular instructional day using smart phones, cell phones or other devices must have prior approval from the building administrator. This does not apply to photographing, videotaping or audiotaping during extracurricular activities, such as public concerts and athletic events.
This is an excerpt from the HCPSS Student & Parent Handbook.
Events Coming Up
February
- 20 - President's Day - Schools closed
- 21 - Professional Learning Day - Schools closed for students
- 22 - In-School Banking 9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
- 23 - Vision & Hearing Make-up and Re-screening
- 24 - PTA Roller Skate Night at the Supreme Sports Club 4:30 p.m.
- 27 - Kindergarten Registration Week thru March 3rd, 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
- 27 - Junior Achievement in a Day Parent Training 9:30 a.m. or 7:00 p.m.
- 27 - Puberty Education Information Session (5th-grade parents) 6:30 p.m.
- 28 - Kindergarten Registration evening hours 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
March
- 2 - Kindergarten Registration evening hours 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
- 3 - PTA International Night, Gymnasium 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
- 8 - Third Quarter Interims Issued
- 9 - Schools close 3 hours early - Parent/teacher conferences
- 10 - Schools close 3 hours early - Parent/teacher conferences
- 15 - JA in a Day
- 17 - 5th-grade field trip to Washington DC
Clemens Crossing Elementary School
Elizabeth Yankle, Assistant Principal
Email: ecosentino@hcpss.org
Website: cces.hcpss.org
Location: 10320 Quarterstaff Road, Columbia, MD, United States
Phone: 410-313-6866
Facebook: facebook.com/ClemensCrossingElementary
Twitter: @hcpss_cces