Hollifield Herald
Week of 9/8/20
Dear HSES Families,
It was such a pleasure "seeing" our families over the last two weeks. Our community conversations were highly attended and created our first opportunity to connect with families. We loved spending time with you! Our staff did an outstanding job of presenting information and answering questions during our virtual open house events last Friday. In addition to the quality time spent in open house, our grade level teachers shared, the 10 minute conferences with individual families were highly rewarding. We will continue to look for ways to connect with our families in order to deepen our knowledge of our students as well as the needs of the families.
Preparing for virtual teaching has been hard work, but our students' smiling faces lifted all of us up! The children are the heart of all that we do. We are so excited to see them more often and engage them in quality online learning.
Have a safe and engaging first day of school!
Sincerely,
Amanda Wadsworth, Principal
Aaron Tark, Assistant Principal
&
Erin Coleman, Administrative Intern
Important Dates:
Sept 8 First Day of School (K-5)
Sept 8 Additional distribution date for pick up of curriculum materials/ Chromebook
Sept 22 Virtual Back to School Night
- 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm - 1st & 2nd Grade
Sept 23 Virtual Back to School Night
- 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. G/T Math Orientation for students currently enrolled in the 4th and 5th grade G/T Math program.
- 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. G/T Orientation for K-5 parents (Overview of the whole program)
- 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. 3rd -5th Grade
Are you experiencing difficulties using the Chromebook and other technology for learning?
After receiving a Chromebook, families can use the directions for connecting a Chromebook to Wi-Fi to connect it to their home network. Students who forget their username or password can use the Account Self Service directions to retrieve their account credentials. A variety of common self-help resources can be found on the Student Technology Resources Canvas community. If you or your child has questions on how to use the technology to access instruction or is having technical issues, please email your child’s teacher or school administrator.
Expectations for Virtual Learning
Just as we have expectations when we are in school, there will be expectations for students to attend class and engage with your teachers and peers. Please review these expectations as a family to ensure a highly successful learning experience!
Click HERE to review the expectations for learning.
Student Absences
student's lawful absence is marked as excused and they will have the opportunity to
make up work. In your email, please include your child's name and grade. Please
remember that you have up to 5 days after your child's return to school to submit an
absence note. When emailing a note, you will receive an automated message to verify
that your email was received. Please do not send attendance notes to your child's
teachers. If you have any questions about your child's attendance, please email
hsesabsence@hcpss.org .
How do you take attendance?!
● At the elementary level, both the homeroom teacher and mathematics teacher will take attendance, noting whether students were present online for synchronous instruction.
● A student must attend BOTH the ELA synchronous session and the Math synchronous session to be counted present for a full day.
● If a student attends EITHER the ELA synchronous session or the Math synchronous session he/she will be marked present for a half day.
● If a student DOES NOT attend the ELA synchronous session or the Math synchronous session he/she will be marked absent for the day.
Student attendance for Wednesday instruction will occur as follows:
● A student will be counted as present for Wednesday if they do one or more of the following since the previous Wednesday:○ Submit an assignment to one of their teachers
○ Engage in synchronous instruction with an HCPSS teacher
○ Complete work in the Canvas learning management system, DreamBox or Lexia Core5
School Meals
The food services program during the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year will consist of Grab-and-Go breakfasts and lunches served Monday through Friday from 8–9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m., beginning Tuesday, September 8.
Breakfast and lunch can be picked up at either meal time. Meals will be provided free of charge for all students, subject to USDA funding availability. Hollifield Station Elementary School is a food site and students may access Grab-and-Go meals at HSES.
Additional information regarding food services can be found on the HCPSS website - click here.
Virtual Learning Template
Are you looking for a way to organize your child(ren)'s day? Here is another resource to support you! Fellow administrators shared with us, and we hope this helps you and your students stay organized in the virtual setting.
Download document below.
Previously Shared Information
Canvas Video and Community Conversation PPT.
Please find the links to the Canvas videos here. These are valuable resources in helping you navigate Canvas for virtual learning.
PowerPoint link. Remember - schedules reflect small group instruction which will not take place until several weeks into the school year. Students will remain in whole group for at least the first couple of weeks in order to build community and develop skills to ensure successful independent work time. Students in 1st - 5th will switch for math starting week 2. As teachers share more information, you will receive specifics for your child's schedule.
The school system also shared sample schedules.
Emergency Card Procedures on Family File
HCPSS utilizes Family File for parents/guardians to complete emergency information. Regardless of virtual or in-person learning, parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child. Parents/guardians can complete Family File by logging in to HCPSS Connect, selecting the More Options tab on the left, and then selecting Family File in the center column. Family File guides are available online.
Covid-19 Community Testing Sites
Howard County General Hospital is bringing testing for COVID-19 to neighborhoods around Howard County. Advanced registration is strongly encouraged. To learn more or register, visit www.bit.ly/j2bh-testing. For additional assistance call 410-740-7601.
- Wednesday, September 9 | 5 – 7:30 p.m. at Kittamaqundi Community Church, 5410 Leaf Treader Way, Columbia
- Sunday, September 13 | 8 – 11 a.m. at St. John Baptist Church, 9055 Tamar Drive, Columbia
- Saturday, September 19 | 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church, 6800 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia
- Saturday, September 26 | 8 – 11 a.m. at Oakland Mills Interfaith Center, 5885 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia
- Saturday, October 3 | 8 – 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Guilford, 7504 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia
- Saturday, October 10 | 8 – 11 a.m. at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4100 St. John’s Lane, Ellicott City
- Sunday, October 25 | 8 – 11 a.m. at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4100 St. John’s Lane, Ellicott City
- Saturday, October 31 | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Celebration Church, 7101 Riverwood Drive, Columbia