The Fulton Flier
Week of January 3rd
I am excited to welcome our students back, while it has only been a little over a week it feels like much longer. I hope you had an opportunity to spend time with family and friend during this time. And I hope you enjoy our first snow day!!!
To help Fulton maintain a safe and healthy learning environment we will continue to:
- Allow students to eat lunch outside, weather permitting (Please send them to school with suitable clothing for the weather).
- Have an operating HEPA filter in each classroom.
- Have hand sanitizer available in each classroom as well as throughout the building
- Have wipes available in each classroom.
The information below has been shared previously by HCPSS, but it is useful to review it again before students return to school on Monday.
Health Checks: Parents/guardians should perform a health check with their child every day and refrain from sending them to school if they show any symptoms associated with COVID-19 or any other communicable disease. Staff are to follow the same guidance. Please note that student absences due to sickness are considered excused absences. Additionally, parents/guardians please send an email to tanisha_burks@hcpss.org and christina_toler@hcpss.org notifying us of a positive test during the break.
Masks: Universal indoor masking remains intact for all HCPSS facilities. Families are encouraged to send their children to school with KN95 masks, which are recommended by the CDC for their effectiveness over the typical cloth masks previously recommended. HCPSS is in the process of procuring KN95 masks for students and staff to have on hand in addition to the masks already available in schools.
Vaccines: The Howard County Health Department and HCPSS encourages vaccines and boosters for all applicable residents ages 5 and older, and there are several vaccination clinics available for first doses and boosters.
New CDC Guidance: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) earlier this week announced a recommendation to shorten quarantine duration to five days. This recommendation was adopted by the Howard County Health Department (HCHD). Therefore, unvaccinated and vaccinated students and staff who test positive for COVID-19 will have to isolate and may not return to school until:
- They have been out at least 5 days from the onset of symptoms or upon receiving a positive test without symptoms, and
- Remain fever-free for 24 hours, and
- Show a consistent improvement of symptoms.
Students and staff who test positive may return to school on day 6 but must continue to wear a mask for an additional five days at all times while indoors except while eating.
Contact tracing will be led by the health department. Please notify people you believe may be close contacts in an effort to prevent further spread.
Happy New Year!
Warmly,
Dr. Burks
Recess Volunteer Rotation
Our school and precious children are in need of parents to volunteer during recess - let's help make this happen! If you are able to assist, even just 30 minutes of your time can be very helpful (but you are very welcome to sign up for longer!).
- Sign up for a day and time using this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a084faaab2eaaf49-recess
- Add to your calendar as repeat weekly
- Commitment is for one month or more (indicate which month/s in comments)
* volunteer packet must be completed and submitted to school.
Please feel free to contact Orli Barshook at orlibarshook@gmail.com for any questions or concerns.
Extra Extra, Read All About it!
Check out The Falcon Gazette, “A paper for students written by students.”
The PTA Perch
January 11 is Fulton night at Ledo Pizza!
Mid-month orders will open for delicious pizza kits and frozen pizzas from Ellicott City’s River House Pizza Co! This is an easy way to involve your students in dinner prep with these convenient, delicious pizza kits or have a meal ready to go in the freezer with their frozen pizzas. More to follow after winter break!
January 25 is spirit day at Chick-fil-A!
Upcoming Dates
Please visit or subscribe to the FES Calendar Webpage to view important upcoming dates:
January 1st: Happy New Year
January 11th: PTA Ledo's Restaurant Night 4:00-9:00pm; Virtual PTA Meeting 7:00pm
January 17th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day- Schools and Offices closed
January 18th: Instrumental Music Winter Concert
January 19th: School closes 3 hours early; No 1/2 day PreK/RECC
January 21st: End of 2nd Quarter
January 24th: Schools Closed for Students- Professional Work Day
January 25th: PTA Chick-fil-A's Restaurant Night
January 31st: Quarter 2 Report Cards Issued
February 1st: School Closed for Students- Professional Work Day
Happenings Around our Fulton Community
Black Student Achievement Program Saturday Math Academy Virtual Spring 2022 Session
BSAP SMA Spring 2022 Flyer (English) (Links to an external site.)
BSAP SMA Spring 2022 Flyer (Spanish) (Links to an external site.)
HCPSS Connect Instructions (Links to an external site.)Vaccination Clinics for HCPSS Students Aged 5-11
HCPSS is working with the Howard County Health Department and several local pharmacies, to provide students ages 5-11 the opportunity to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Information about upcoming clinics is available on the HCPSS website and will be updated as new clinics are added. Vaccination remains the most effective strategy to save lives and end this pandemic so I encourage you to make an appointment for your child if you have not already done so.
Answers to frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine can be found on the Howard County Health Department’s website. Additional information can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Technology Support Center Update
The HCPSS Technology Support Centers are regularly scheduled to be open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Technology Support Centers will resume regular operations beginning Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.
Students and staff may visit Technology Support Centers when they are open at:
Old Bushy Park Elementary School, Room E2 (door to the left of the front entrance), 2690 Route 97, Glenwood (Building is between Glenwood Middle School and Bushy Park Elementary School)
Old Cedar Lane Gymnasium (follow signs to door around left side of building), 5451 Beaverkill Road, Columbia
The Bully Buster Bulletin
The students in Kindergarten listened to the story Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen. We discussed how it is important to be a good listener and ways to be a good listener. The students practiced a chant using their eyes, ears, hands, feet, mouth, and mind to help them remember how to be a good listener.
Students in the first grade learned that post-it notes, chocolate cookies, and the slinky were all created from someone making a mistake. Mistakes can be discoveries! Students then read Beautiful Oops and created their own art masterpieces. We can overcome mistakes by being positive and finding something good that can come from our own mistakes.
Second grade students learned the difference between put ups and put downs. Put ups are kind words that we say to one another and put downs are unkind words. This concept was demonstrated by crumbling a large red heart and showing how the put downs leave an imprint. Students then listened to Stephanie’s Ponytail, which highlights positive self-esteem.
Third graders reviewed the 3 key players in a bullying situation (Target, Bully, Bystander) and what bullying really entails vs. a typical conflict.
Students then listened to a book, Nobody Knew What to Do, and received ways to stay bully free. Students promised to be active bystanders and stand up to the bullies!
Students in 5th grade played Conflict Resolution Bingo to help resolve problems in a peaceful manner. Some of the strategies discussed were using an “I” statement, acknowledging feelings, practicing empathy, and listening to the other person’s side.
Check out the December issue of the HCPSS School Counseling Connection for more ideas.
Fulton Elementary School
Justine Sillers, Assistant Principal, justine_sillers@hcpss.org
Leslie Brickner, Assistant Principal, leslie_brickner@hcpss.org
Email: tanisha_burks@hcpss.org
Website: fes.hcpss.org/
Location: 11600 Scaggsville Road, Fulton, MD, USA
Phone: 410-880-5957
Twitter: @hcpss_fes