News From The Nest
March, 2015 Edition
Principal's Message
It is mid-March and the snow has finally melted! I don’t know about you, but I am ready for spring! Signs of spring are starting to show though. The Orioles have played their first Grapefruit League game, we turned our clocks forward, and baseball, softball, and lacrosse practices are underway (no robins yet). Spring proves to be a very busy time for the faculty and staff at Joppa View. PARCC testing in grades three, four, and five classrooms are underway, the staffing process for the 2015-2016 school year is in the beginning stages, and planning for spring events, such as, STEM Fair, Math Night, Parade of Nations, Book Fair, spring band and chorus concerts, and a school wide fundraiser (hoping to replace the marquee sign) are underway! Thank you to the PTA Executive Board, all PTA members, parent volunteers, and community members who support JVES during this very busy time.
Each year there is considerable discussion about placement of children in classes for the next school year. This is a matter that we do not take lightly at Joppa View, as we will spend countless hours forming well-balanced classes in which all children will have the opportunity to learn and grow in academic and social skills. Many factors are taken into consideration in this thoughtful process. Classes are organized by clustering reading ability groups so that there is a range of reading abilities within a classroom to allow for groups of students that need opportunities to be challenged, as well as those who need occasional reinforcement of skills. Extreme ranges are avoided, while teacher judgment, classroom performance, test performance, PARCC performance, and learning and teaching styles are all taken into consideration. Additionally, we consider boy/girl ratios, specific services necessary (i.e. speech, ESOL) and student to student chemistry. As you can imagine, it is not possible to honor specific teacher requests. Based upon current and projected enrollment numbers, we expect some movement of teachers from one grade to another, retirements, and several teachers new to Joppa View. As new students register, this may also impact student placement. Therefore, although we usually assign students to a particular class at the end of the school year, we reserve the right to change placement and teacher based upon the number of new entrants.
I would like to recognize our third, fourth, and fifth grade students who are participating in PARCC during the month of March. They have worked extremely hard throughout the school year to prepare for these assessments. Our faculty and staff members are recognized for providing ongoing quality instruction and we truly appreciate the support that our parents provide in the home and at school. Student success at Joppa View is certainly a team effort! Thank you for your support.
Kindergarten registration, for the 2015-2016 school year, is quickly approaching! If you live within the boundaries of Joppa View and have a child that will turn 5 years old on or before September 1, 2015, please contact Ms. Street at 410-887-5065 to schedule an appointment. Registration is by appointment only!
Joppa View -- Celebrating 25 Years!
3/16/2015 – Assembly, Fifth Grade Instrumental Pop Concert, 2:30 pm.
3/16/2015 – Fifth Grade Instrumental Pop Concert, 7:00 pm.
3/19/2015 - Chess Club, 8:15 am, members only.
3/23/2015 – Snow date for Fifth Grade Instrumental Pop Concert, 7:00 pm.
3/25/2015 – STEM Fair in gymnasium, 9:00-3:30 pm.
3/25/2015 – STEM Fair Awards, 6:30-7:30 pm.
3/26/2015 - Chess Club, 8:15 am, members only.
3/26/2015 - Multicultural Club, 4:00-5:00 pm in the library.
3/27/2015 - Parade of Nations, 6:30-8:00 pm in the cafeteria.
4/1/2015 - Third Marking Period ends.
4/2/2015 - 4/10/2015 - SPRING BREAK. Schools are closed.
4/13/2015 - Schools reopen.
4/14/2015 - PTA Executive Board meeting, 6:30-8:00 pm.
4/15/2015 - Kindergarten Registration. Call for appointment.
4/16/2015 - Kindergarten Registration. Call for appointment.
4/16/2015 - Chess Club, 8:15 am, members only.
4/16/2015 - Multicultural Club, 4:00-5:00 pm in the library.
4/17/2015 - 4/24/2015 - Scholastic Book Fair, library.
4/17/2015 - PTA Book Swap Bingo, 6:30-8:00 pm.
4/23/2015 - Chess Club, 8:15 am, members only.
4/23/2015 - JVES 25 Year Celebration Assembly, 2:30.
4/23/2015 - Distribution of Report Cards.
4/23/2015 - JVES 25 Year Community Celebration and Open House, 6:30-8:00 pm.
4/28/2015 - Grade 5 visit to Perry Hall Middle School, 10:30-12:30.
4/30/2015 - Chess Club, 8:15 am, members only.
5/5/2015 - PTA Executive Board meeting, 6:30-8:00 pm.
5/7/2015 - Chess Club, 8:15 am, members only.
5/7/2015 - National Elementary Honor Society Meeting, 4:00-5:00 pm, members only.
5/7/2015 - Fifth Grade Farewell Committee, 6:30 pm, Faculty Lounge.
5/8/2015 - Race for Education, 9:00-3:30.
Staff Member of the Month: Mrs. Panuska
Mrs. Panuska is new to Joppa View this year. She is presently teaching first and second grade. Prior to coming to Joppa View, she taught third grade at Eastwood Elementary for 12 years, until they closed in 2012. She then taught kindergarten and first grade at Norwood Elementary. Mrs. Panuska has a 20 year old son, named Erik, who attends McDaniel College, where he studies Psychology and Business. She recently married a wonderful man and now has 2 more sons, Timothy and Christopher. Both boys live with them and their 3 dogs; Rocky, Bruiser and Flash. When the opportunity arises, they enjoy traveling to watch Erik wrestle in tournaments from Virginia to New York. Welcome Mrs. Panuska!
Email: kertel@bcps.org
Get Linked In...
When the weather turns chilly, Jim Mitcherling’s mornings turn early. That’s because as director of transportation for Baltimore County Public Schools, Mitcherling has to assess the safety of hundreds of miles of road used twice daily by 72,000 children riding to and from school on nearly 900 buses. It’s a daunting challenge, but one Mitcherling and his team know well.
“There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes when the school system makes a decision about what to do if inclement weather is imminent,” said Mitcherling. “There are a lot of moving pieces.”
Checking the roads is just one of those pieces, all of which must come together, sometimes within hours of one another, in order for the Baltimore County schools’ superintendent to decide whether to open or close schools, open them late or close them early, or suspend afternoon, evening, or weekend school activities. The process is roughly governed by two conditions, both of which are out of BCPS control – time and the weather.
But like baking a cake, BCPS personnel led by Mitcherling go through each methodical step to ensure a safe ride for children. They add layers of information, data, and observation, but ultimately the right decision can be a close call, one always governed by keeping children and staff safe in the event of rough weather. This is how BCPS makes weather-related decisions:
Step 1: Information is key
- The BCPS Office of Transportation gathers daily weather reports from two weather services, in addition to real-time reports from the Baltimore County Office of Highways on the state of the roads.
- If bad weather threatens, the BCPS “snow crew” heads out on the roads by 3 a.m., checking conditions on the road, at bus stops, and neighborhood sidewalks and walking routes. Even on nights when no foul weather is predicted, the road crew may still be out checking on known trouble areas or gauging weather conditions. “Already this school year,” Mitcherling says, “the BCPS snow crew has been out over 30 times this year, even though there was no snow or delay.”
- In addition, school officials begin talking directly with meteorologists to get up-to-the-minute forecasts and knowledgeable information. By 4 a.m., BCPS is talking with county and state highway monitors, physical facilities teams, and other nearby school systems in the path of the inclement weather.
Step 2: Decision Time
- By 4:30 a.m., transportation officials have reviewed the data and are ready to make a recommendation to the BCPS Chief Administrative and Operations Officer. He then has half an hour to confer with the superintendent.
- No later than 5 a.m. – the first BCPS buses are ready to go at that time – the superintendent decides whether to open, keep schools closed, or have a delayed opening. “With a lot of these recent storms, it’s been difficult to make a decision by 5 a.m., because so much can change so quickly. That’s why we’ve had to go back and revise an earlier announcement if the weather worsens,” Mitcherling says.
Step 3: Alerting the rest of Team BCPS
- Even before many students or their parents arise, the decision is broadcast to the public in a variety of ways, starting with tweets on the BCPS Twitter feed within seconds of the decision.
- Within minutes, the decision is being posted on the BCPS website (www.bcps.org), placed on BCPS-TV, the BCPS Now app, and broadcast on the BCPS telephone “weather line” – 410.887.5555.
- Also within minutes, calls are made to more than a dozen newsrooms across the region, including all four major Baltimore TV stations. Those reports usually air within seconds.
Mitcherling stresses that the process is inexact and frustrating at times. “If anything,” he says, “we’ll err on the side of caution.” He also notes that because of the fluid nature of weather, it is often easier and more precise to wait until morning rather than the previous night to decide whether to open or close.
“We know people like it when we make a decision the night before, but those instances are relatively rare,” Mitcherling says. “There is so much that can happen so quickly.”
For more information on the way BCPS makes weather-related schedule decisions, please visit: http://www.bcps.org/system/policies_rules/rules/6000Series/RULE6303.pdf.