Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments
August 28, 2020 - Volume 42, Issue 3
Clemens Crossing Elementary School
We're Here to Help You!
Edward Cosentino, PrincipalSonia Hurd, Assistant Principal
Stacey Wells, Principal's Secretary
Jennifer Aballo, Teachers' Secretary
Dulce Boyer, Teachers' Secretary
Website: cces.hcpss.org
Location: 10320 Quarterstaff Road, Columbia, MD, United States
Phone: 410-313-6866
Facebook: facebook.com/ClemensCrossingElementary
Twitter: @hcpss_cces
From School Administration
This past Tuesday, we welcomed back our school teachers and staff with a Virtual Kick-off Meeting. It was exciting to see and reconnect with each other, and it was great to see the 12 new staff members who are joining our team! On that note, I would like to welcome Mrs. Amber Naden to our kindergarten team. Due to fluctuations in enrollment at St. Johns Lane ES, Mr. Kollosch returned to that school where he taught for two years. SJLES had an unexpected increase in enrollment which resulted in adding a teaching position there. At the same time, Worthington ES had to reduce its staff due to lower than estimated enrollment. Luckily, we have Mrs. Naden who taught at Worthington ES for three years and Prince Georges County Public School System for 14 years. Please welcome Mrs. Naden to CCES!
Over the past three days, teachers have been very busy learning about schedules, curriculum, electronic resources, and the ins and outs of Canvas and Google Meet to name a few.
They are all excited to get to know your children and start this year's journey together. Please be on the look-out for direct communication from your child's teacher next week.
You will be able to find out your child's homeroom teacher on Monday, August 31 in Family File.
I am sure many of you are completing your Family File emergency form at that time. Once you complete your Family File emergency form, you will be able to find out your child's teacher. Instructions for Family File emergency form completion are in a section in this newsletter below.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at ecosentino@hcpss.org or by phone/text at 410-294-8129. You can also reach out to Assistant Principal Hurd at sonia_hurd@hcpss.org.
Mr. Cosentino, Principal
Important Upcoming Dates and Events
August
August 28 Material Distribution
- 9:00am-10:00am Last Names A-C
- 10:00am-11:00am Last Names D-J
- 11:00am-12:00pm Last Names K-O
- 12:00pm-1:00pm Last Names P-S
- 1:00pm-2:00pm Last Names T-W
If you are unable to pick up during the times listed above, you may use the alternative late schedule listed below:
- 2:00pm-3:00pm Last Names A-J
- 3:00pm-4:00pm Last Names K-Z
- 31 - Teacher assignments available in Family File
September
- 3 - Kindergarten Welcome Back Orientation, 11:00 a.m.
- 3 - 1st Grade Welcome Back Orientation, 1:00 p.m.
- 3 - 2nd Grade Welcome Back Orientation, 2:00 p.m.
- 4 - 3rd Grade Welcome Back Orientation, 10:00 a.m.
- 4 - 4th Grade Welcome Back Orientation, 11:00 a.m.
- 4 - 5th Grade Welcome Back Orientation, 12:00 p.m.
- 7 - No School - Labor Day
- 8 - First Day of School
- 15 - Hispanic-Latino Heritage Month Begins
- 21 - Kindergarten Back to School Night, 6:00 p.m.
- 21 - 1st Grade Back to School Night, 6:30 p.m.
- 21 - 2nd Grade Back to School Night, 7:00 p.m.
- 22 - 3rd Grade Back to School Night, 6:00 p.m.
- 22 - 4th Grade Back to School Night, 6:30 p.m.
- 22 - 5th Grade Back to School Night, 7:00 p.m.
- 28 - No School - Yom Kippur
HCPSS Calendars
There will be no printed 2020-21 Calendars.
Staff, students, and families may add our online calendar to their own mobile/online calendar by
- Going to https://www.hcpss.org/calendar/
- Scrolling down to Subscribing to a Calendar
- Right-clicking on the calendar you wish to subscribe to
- Selecting Copy Link Location/Address/Shortcut
- Adding to your calendar of choice (See your calendar for specifics on adding a new calendar)
You may also view and/or download printable PDFs of the full calendar and/or important dates only.
Updates to the PDFs will be noted on the HCPSS calendar page.
PLEASE NOTE! The calendar is subject to change. The online calendar reflects the most recent version.
NEW INFORMATION
Canvas Orientation Videos
Canvas orientation videos, along with student and family guides, are now available for you to explore as we prepare for the 20-21 school year. Please take some time to review prior to September 8th. There are 2 parts to the video. Part 1 reviews the global navigation settings and Part 2 reviews the course structure. Translations of the videos will be available soon. Please ensure that your student is logged in with his/her login credentials and visit https://hcpss.instructure.com/courses/9495
Material Distribution - Friday, August 28, 2020
As listed above, Friday, August 28 is the day for our final material distribution day.
August 28 Material Distribution
REMINDER: Please wear masks and write family name on paper to display in front window.
- 9:00am-10:00am Last Names A-C
- 10:00am-11:00am Last Names D-J
- 11:00am-12:00pm Last Names K-O
- 12:00pm-1:00pm Last Names P-S
- 1:00pm-2:00pm Last Names T-W
If you are unable to pick up during the times listed above, you may use the alternative late schedule listed below:
- 2:00pm-3:00pm Last Names A-J
- 3:00pm-4:00pm Last Names K-Z
During your pick-up time, ALL students will get consumable materials. The consumable materials in the bags do not need to be returned to HCPSS.
Final 50 computers
If you have not picked up your Chromebook, you will be able to get it during the August 28 pick-up. As of today, 96% of our students have an HCPSS issued Chromebook!
Purchased Items from 2019-2020 School Year
If you have a yearbook and/or class picture, we will have it ready for you when you pick up items on August 28!
Leftover Yearbooks and Class Pictures
We have a few leftover yearbooks and class pictures from the 2019-2020 school year. Once we know everyone who has pre-paid for those items, we will plan for the sale of the leftover items.
Information Worth Repeating
CCES Student Schedules
Below you will find those schedules for each grade level. This will help you plan for learning times for each grade level.
Please Update Family File Now
Families that update and complete their Family File will be able to view teacher assignments prior to the start of school. In addition, having this information is critical to us as soon as the first day of school: HCPSS Connect
CCES Supply List 2020-21
From the PTA
Supporting Our Teachers
This year we have asked teachers to submit their Amazon wish lists for families who wish to send a gift of school supplies to start the school year. These lists are being published on our PTA Facebook pages. If you are not on Facebook and would like access to a wish list, please email president@clemenscrossingpta.org with the name of the teacher. Thank you!
Did your child forget his/her login information?
Learning at Home Tips
Below are some tips that you may find helpful or useful as you prepare your child for this year of learning. We recognize that all families are at a different place at this time in terms of school readiness, but for those of you who are curious as to ways you can support your child, we have compiled a beginning list for you.
- Provide a designated learning space for your child. This will help your child with understanding that school is important. If your child has their own area that is strictly for their schooling, they are less likely to be distracted and it will help your child get in the zone for learning. This can be a small table, a small tv tray, a corner table in a kitchen, etc. Please do whatever works best for you, however, we recommend that this area is a “permanent” designated spot in the house.
- Within the designated space, have organized items that your child will be able to find, put away, and use. This will allow students to work in their area without needing to leave it to find needed materials.
- Schoolbox or bin for crayons, pencils, scissors, glue and markers.
- Headphones are helpful to avoid distractions to others AND they will block out distractions from the house.
- Small whiteboard or thick paper in sheet protectors and black expo markers. Often teacher will ask your child to hold up their work as paper can be hard to see in an online format.
Family File Emergency Form is Open in HCPSS Connect
It is time to update your child's Emergency Contact information in HCPSS Connect even though we are starting the school year online. This is the most important step as we prepare for the start of the 2020-2021 School Year. Your Family File needs to be updated at the beginning of every school year.
You will be asked to update or provide the following information:
- Parent/guardian contact information.
- Emergency contacts.
- Medical information
- Arrival and Dismissal procedures.
- Media coverage.
- Data confidentiality.
- PTA Directory.
You can access HCPSS Connect here http://www.hcpss.org/connect/
Parents who have forgotten their login credentials for Family File may click the “Forgot Password” link on the sign-in page.
If you need additional assistance, please fill out this Connect Help Form.
Change of Address
Changes of Address may not be made through Family File. If you have recently moved, please contact your child’s new school as soon as possible. As we are preparing for the upcoming 2020-2021 School Year, it is imperative that we have accurate addresses on file for all of our students. If you have moved, and have not provided us with your updated information, we ask that you email the following documents to Ms. Wells at stacey_wells@hcpss.org.
- A completed a change of address form
- A copy of your new lease or deed
- A copy of a current utility bill with your new address
Information and Application for Free and Reduced Meals (FARMs)
The application is also on the last page of the Family File when you update your emergency contact information.
Connect with CCES and Stay Informed
Listed below are the many ways to stay informed at Clemens Crossing Elementary School:
Twitter
- Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/hcpss_cces
- We use Twitter to inform, celebrate, and engage our community.
- Twitter is used to share what is going on in our school, our community, and throughout the Howard County Public School System.
- Turn on notifications to get information the second it is tweeted.
- We live-stream our concerts on Periscope through Twitter.
- Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ClemensCrossingElementary
- We have found that Facebook is the social media most used by our parents so, we are now on Facebook, too!
- Our Facebook page is updated automatically from our Twitter feed.
- Please use Facebook to share the good news from CCES with your friends and families.
- We use Instagram periodically. We do post pictures and information there.
Website
- Our website, cces.hcpss.org, is updated regularly.
- Important news and information is located on the main page of the site including an archive of our weekly newsletter, Cougar Comments.
- Staff information and email is located under the "Our Staff" tab.
- A subscribeable google calendar is located on the "Calendar" tab.
- Email is our main form of communication.
- You will receive news and information automatically to the email address you provide in your Family File. We will not inundate your inbox with email. Look for the weekly Cougar Comments on Friday mornings.
- If you would like email sent to different email addresses, update your email in Family File with the email address you prefer.
- You can subscribe additional email addresses by visiting the HCPSS News site here. http://www.hcpss.org/hcpss-news/
- Weekly announcements, important information, updates, and more will primarily be sent through email.
- You also have the opportunity to opt-in for text messaging
Back-To-School Nights
PTA Facebook Page and Private Class Groups
PTA Facebook Page
Please follow the CCES PTA - https://www.facebook.com/clemenscrossingpta/
This is an open page for families of students at CCES.
Private Class Groups
The PTA organizes Facebook groups for families of students in each grade. The groups closed/private and only for parents of students in that particular class group. Membership in each group is contingent upon enrollment in the school. All content in the groups must be school related with the purpose of connecting parents and students.
Here is a list of the Facebook group by class:
Adding CCES's Google Calendar to Your Personal Online/Email Calendar
Did you know you can subscribe to CCES's Calendar and see events on your computer and/or smartphone? Why subscribe to the calendar? You will have all of CCES's events embedded in your calendar. If events change, the calendar will be updated immediately.
The Calendar ID is: sqspkjkbr6v6arss44js3n21eg@group.calendar.google.com.
There are many "how to" tutorials online that you can view to learn how to properly sync your calendar depending on your email provider, computer platform, and brand of smartphone.
Cub Scout Pack 618
Cub Scout Pack 618 is open for girls and boys in grades K - 5th. We are located in Hickory Ridge Village and typically meet at Clemens Crossing Elementary School. We have a great year planned with virtual museum tours, hikes, campfires, and camping in the Spring. We start the year with our model rocket launch in September.
We have an Open House Aug 26th, 6:30pm at Martin Road Park if you'd like to meet our leaders and ask questions.
Please visit our website at www.pack618md.com or email cubmaster@pack618md.com