Comet Courier
Horizon Elementary Monthly Newsletter November 2020 Edition
A Message from the Principal
Greetings Comets:
We have successfully completed our first week of the hybrid model! As we prepare to end the first quarter, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge your efforts in supporting students in distance learning and the hybrid model. Our students, staff, and families have worked very hard to pivot and meet the challenges of our current circumstance. For that, I am truly grateful.
As a reminder, we are asking hybrid families to complete the symptom checker survey by 7:15am each day. This will improve our morning procedures and ensure that students arrive to class in a timely manner. We would also like to remind parents to remain in their vehicles during parent drop off (for daycare and/or school) in the morning. We will soon be welcoming additional students back to the building. This practice will allow us to maintain safety protocols, consistency and a steady traffic flow.
Thank you so much for your support during this challenging time. We truly do everything better together as a community of leaders and learners.
Warm Regards,
Jasmine Carpenter, Principal
VERY IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR ALL HYBRID STUDENTS ABOUT THE DAILY SYMPTOM CHECKER! PLEASE COMPLETE BY 7:15 AM!
https://loudouncountyps.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1MHOHgUPEBnHa7z?Q_CHL=qr
Office Reminders
The office is open every day from 7:30 - 3:30, and can be reached by phone at 571-434-3260. For everyone's safety, please do not visit the school unless absolutely necessary. If you need to pick up materials or sign documents for your child, call the office and someone will bring them outside to you. If your hybrid student has forgotten something, we have a table in the office vestibule for you to leave forgotten items. Thank you for your understanding.
Have you joined the PTA?
Is your student going to miss some school?
UPCOMING EVENTS...Mark your calendars
Monday, November 2 and Tuesday, November 3 - Teacher Workdays/No School for Students
Tuesday, November 3 - Election Day - Remember to VOTE!
Monday, November 9 - Report Cards available in ParentVue
November 16-20 American Education Week
Thursday, November 19 - PTA Meeting, 3:00 PM
November 25 - 27 - No School, Thanksgiving Holiday
Student of the Month
Kindergarten
Mrs. Dettmer's Class: Santiago Cajina Suazo
Mrs. Toynbee's Class: Kaitlyn An
Mrs. Wright's class: Josie Zakrzewski
Mrs. Yang's Class: Brayden Snow
First Grade
Mrs. Abney's Class: Talal Abdo
Ms. Kutkuhn's Class: Liam Price
Miss Nichols' Class: Nameera Khan
Miss Rickey's Class: Zaid Almahdawi
Mrs.Wallace's Class: Clare Tran
Second Grade
Ms. Fornatora's Class: Andrew Solensky
Mrs. Gruehn's Class: Ellie Irvin
Mrs. Perka's Class: Christian Wang
Mrs. Rooker's Class: Aena Ali
Mrs. Seufert's Class: Dawud Balti
Third Grade:
Miss Strohl's Class: Zubair Anjum
Ms. Wasser's Class: Savannah Thompson
Mrs. Williams's Class: Hirad Sadri
Ms. Zahid's Class: Adrian Malapira
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Drury's Class: Nahjai Harden
Ms. Griffith's Class: Avani Ghanta
Ms. Huff's Class: Eli Vande Visse
Mrs. Jeffers' Class: Scarlett Perez
Fifth Grade
Miss Bohl's Class: Divena Gupta
Ms. Harrison's Class: Victoria Lim
Ms. Mueller's Class: Sofia Hakimi
Ms. Rohrbach's Class: Henry O'Hora
Horizon School Counseling News
What’s important? Ms. Anderson and Ms. Demory are the School Counselors at Horizon Elementary School. Every week, the School Counseling Newsletter is updated with new and important information for students/families. Please click here to view the School Counseling Newsletter! The newsletter can also be found on the School Counseling Schoology page for each grade level!
What do hybrid students need to consider? School Counseling lessons are still being taught through Google Meet. Hybrid students will participate in the counseling lesson on one of their asynchronous days. Please view the School Counseling Newsletter to see the schedule so you know when students are expected to participate in the lessons!
What’s next? Groups will be starting in November and will be called Counselor Connection. Groups will be held for both hybrid and distance learning students. If parents would like to request that their student(s) participate in a group with their counselor, please email or call us. The school counselors will be connecting with parents to provide information on the groups, as well as to provide information on the permission click form that will need to be completed prior to beginning groups.
How to contact your school counselor? All contact information is provided in the School Counseling Newsletter.
FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT
Mr. Russell is teaching all of the distance learning (online) students for the remainder of the school year, assuming the County stays with the current plan. Mr. Grivetti is teaching all of the hybrid (in-person) students for the remainder of the school year (again, assuming the County stays with the same plan). Some classes will need to change music teachers. The Kindergarten, First, and Second grade students have already made these changes effective October 26. The Third, Fourth, and Fifth grade students will be making these changes on December 1.
Many people have asked about the possibility of have Fourth and Fifth Grade chorus and recorders during music class. We have been discouraged from doing this at this time. It is safe to assume these will not be offered this year. If anything changes before the end of the school, we will let you know.
-Mr. Grivetti and Mr. Russell
FROM THE LIBRARY
As of now, the book bus is slated to continue running through November. In addition, you have the option of picking books up at school on Tuesday afternoons. Instead of choosing "Book Bus" on the form, please choose the Tuesday option.
Library classes have been working on digital citizenship, as well as learning about Library Resources such as databases and the library catalog. Grades 3-5 have also been introduced to the ten Virginia Readers' Choice books for this year.
This year’s 1book 1community selection is FRONT DESK by author Kelly Yang (not Horizon's Kelly Yang). This title is an award-winning debut middle grade novel about a 10-year-old Chinese American immigrant girl who manages the front desk of a motel while her parents clean the rooms. FRONT DESK was awarded the 2018 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, the Parents' Choice Gold Medal, is the 2019 Global Read Aloud, and has earned numerous other honors.
I ordered the maximum copies I was allowed (48) to hand out at school. LCPL Overdrive portal will offer simultaneous eBook access to FRONT DESK. You must have an LCPL library card to access it; you can obtain one online or at any branch location. They will also have print copies.
Kelly Yang will be providing an online program December 12 at 7 p.m. – I will send more information on this later.
-Mrs. Christiansen
A NOTE FROM PE...
First and foremost, we hope you and your family are doing well during this unprecedented time. As we transition to some hybrid classes, November will prove to be an exciting time. Those students in person will start with routines, procedures and expectations of the gym space. After wrapping up the first quarter, our goal is to incorporate soccer skills into our fitness unit. We will cover basic soccer ball handling skills while working on agility, ball control and fitness skills. Having an available soccer ball will be helpful but any ball will do. Lastly, we ask our distance learning families to help us in creating a safe and spacious area for our upcoming soccer unit. As you know, physical education requires movement and we have noticed that students with headphones are limited in their participation. Providing a space where headphones can be taken off would be advantageous. Thank you for your support!
~ Mrs. Vazquez and Mrs. Ciccone
FROM THE ART ROOM
FROM OUR READING SPECIALISTS
FROM THE TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT
Amazon Web Services Girls’ Tech Day is going virtual this year. This complimentary event will inspire and motivate girls and young women, ages 8-24, to develop and pursue their interests in technology by exploring Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Coding, Virtual Reality, Robotics, and more!
Girls’ Tech Day includes:
- Speaker Sessions – Learn about the experiences of students and women in technology.
- Interactive Coding Sessions – Compose a melody, code virtual models to walk a runway, program an online robot, or build avatars using artificial intelligence.
- Fun with STEAM – Create magic with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Mathematics), download the Girls’ Tech Day playlist, and much more.
Activities are designed so that students can go at their own pace, and join the event as many times as they like between November 14 – 28. Parents, guardians, or teachers will need to register interested participants under the age of 18. All activities require an electronic device like a computer or mobile phone with Internet connection. Registration is now open. If you would like to learn more about Girls’ Tech Day, and AWS InCommunities, visit their website, or reach out to deoldham@amazon.com.
Additional information from the Technology Department
For how-to or instructional technology questions, it is recommended that all families start with the child's teacher.
Distance Learning students with access or hardware problems should call the Technology Support Center (TSC) at (571) 252-2112 or email your question to supportcenter@lcps.org. The TSC is staffed from 8 AM - 5 PM, Mon.-Fri., and includes Spanish speakers. To make an appointment for repairs, go to bit.ly/DDI-REPAIR. Dominion HS is the closest repair center to Horizon.
Hybrid students can receive tech support from our on-site DES, Cheryl Brechbill, on days they are in-person learning. If a student in the school building needs help with their device, they should notify the teacher who will submit a trouble ticket to the DES. The DES will meet the student in the hallway outside the classroom to give support while demonstrating social distance. If it is determined that a repair or replacement is needed, the DES can issue a loaner device or charger for use in school and/or at home until the student's device is returned or a permanent replacement is issued. The DES will disinfect loaners before redistribution to other students.
This information has been updated on our Family Distance Learning Resource site for your reference.
LCPS FACE is hosting virtual Parent Outreach Events called the Family Room where families, school staff, and the community can join a Meet to discuss a topic. These meetings happen once a month, usually on Wednesdays at 6 pm, and they have interpreters for Spanish and Arabic. Recordings and slide decks from previous sessions are available HERE. The next meeting will be November 4 discussing ParentVUE grades and Schoology. If you have any questions, please ask your child’s teacher or reach out to Veronica Cuadrado, the Family & Community Engagement coordinator.
Horizon Elementary School
46665 Broadmore Drive * Sterling, VA * 20165 * Telephone 571.434.3260 * Fax 703.444.7418
Absentee Line 571.434.3261
Absentee Email hrzabsentee@lcps.org
website: www.lcps.org/Horizon
Principal: Mrs. Jasmine Carpenter jasmine.carpenter@lcps.org
Assistant Principal: Mr. Max Merick maxwell.merick@lcps.org
Financial Technician: Mrs. Holly Buehler Laura.Buehler@lcps.org
Registrar: Mrs. Katie Wright katherine.wright@lcps.org
Follow us on Twitter: @HorizonElem or Facebook: www.facebook.com/HRZSterling