FES Falcon Parent Update
1.25.21
Federalsburg Elementary School
Principal: Todd Nichols
Assistant Principal: Briana Walker
Email: nichols.toddf@ccpsstaff.org
Website: http://federalsburges.org
Location: 302 S University Ave, Federalsburg, MD, USA
Phone: 410-479-2761
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FederaslsburgFalcons
FES is a Title I School
The FES Family will promote our S.O.A.R. core values by engaging in a supportive and collaborative learning community that nurtures and builds a foundation for lifelong success.
To SOAR means to Stay safe and ready, Own our responsibilities, Achieve our goals, and Respect self and others.
Quarter 3 Student Resources and Material Pickup Updated
Material distribution day Update for the 3rd quarter will still be on January 27th. The following changes will take place with students returning to the building Feb. 1st.
- Kindergarten through 3rd grade will only offer pickup for students who remain virtual.
- Pre-K, 4th grade, and 5th grade will distribute supplies to all students on the 27th.
Timeline for Students Return to FES
Feb. 1st: Pre-K through 3rd grade students previously identified to return to the building will return to their Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday schedule in the building.
Feb. 8th: 4th and 5th grades - AA schedule students begin in the building.
Feb. 11: 4th and 5th grade- BB schedule student begin in the building.
- Virtual Learning will remain an option for families who want their children to continue to learn at home. No changes will be made to their current schedule.
- The shorter student day will remain unchanged for all students for the remainder of the school year.
- Wednesdays will continue to be an Asynchronous day. Students will need to complete assignments in their google classrooms to be counted for attendance.
AA/BB Schedule Details for 4th and 5th grade students
We have assigned students to AA/BB schedules and families will start to be notified this week. Students were assigned to a schedule based on bus routes. We will send out an email to parents this week to notify you on which days your child will report. Teachers will also reach out to families to report which day your child will be reporting as well as inform their students. Please call the front office at 410-479-2761 if you do not hear from us or have not yet completed the survey to let us know if your child is returning to the building or remaining virtual.
Students on the AA Schedule:
- Monday and Tuesday in the building for in-person instruction.
- Wednesday at home for an asynchronous day (same as current schedule).
- Thursday and Friday at home for synchronous virtual learning (same as current schedule).
Students on the BB Schedule:
- Monday and Tuesday at home for synchronous virtual learning (same as current schedule).
- Wednesday at home for an asynchronous day (same as current schedule).
- Thursday and Friday in the building for in-person instruction.
Families of students in PK4, kindergarten through 6th grade and 9th grade have already completed questionnaires. Anyone needing to change information given in their previous questionnaires should contact the child’s school directly.
Only Special Ed students that are currently in the building now will attend all 4 days when students return. Special Education teachers will reach out to families individually.
Kajeets Smartspots
Students who were provided Kajeet Smartspots should keep those for the time being in order to have connectivity to their classrooms on their synchronous learning days at home.
Please use the Kajeets for school use only as the data is limited. It resets on the 11th of each month.
The Connectivity Room will be only available to teacher/staff students at this time.
Please note:
- Face coverings are required for all students ages five and over.
- Protocols for preventing the spread of COVID-19 through cleaning, self-assessment, and social distancing are detailed in the CCPS Recovery Plan.
2020-2021 Calendar Survey
Upcoming Dates
- Wednesday Jan. 27: Asynchronous Day- Students complete posted assignments in google classroom to get counted for attendance.
- Jan. 27: 3rd quarter Material Pickup from 1:00-6:00.
- Jan. 28: Early Dismissal/ End of quarter 2
- Jan. 29: No School for Students/ Teacher professional development day
- Feb. 1: Start 3rd Quarter
Grades PK through 3rd grade return to building
- Feb. 8: AA students return to building for 4th and 5th grade
- Feb. 11: BB students return to building for 4th and 5th grade
- Feb. 15: NO SCHOOL President's Day
- Feb. 17: Math/Reading Night, A title I funded event
Repost from 1/11/21
Parents can help FES SOAR: Check your child's attendance and grades regularly.
1. Attendance has been a huge issue this year at FES. We usually have students attending school at 95% from September through December. We are currently at 84.5%.
Are you aware if your child is attending school regularly? Are they attending one class and dropping off the zoom on another? Our attendance rate has decreased with students missing portions of their classes during the day or not attending at all.
Here's how you can help:
- Please email notes to Emily Phillips at phillips.emily@ccpsstaff.org if your child is too ill to attend virtual class.
- Check the Powerschool parent portal daily to see attendance updates and to make sure your child is attending school regularly.
- Or contact the school at 410-479-2761 to speak to Mrs. Phillips or your child's teacher about their attendance.
2. Wednesday Asynchronous days are counted towards attendance. You child needs to complete and hand in assignments posted in their teachers' google classroom to get counted for attendance. They have 3 days to complete the assignment. Please make sure your child completes the assignment. Simply submitting without completing the work is still an absence.
3. Grades are also posted on the powerschool portal for grades 3-5. Many students are not handing in assignments and are receiving a "DND" which means did not do. "DND" = "0" in the grade book. One issue that we see is students are submitting blank assignments. The assignment is showing that it is submitted in the google classroom but when you open the assignment up it is actually blank.
Here's How can you help?
- Please check to see if the work was completed even after your child hit the submit button.
- Teachers email students about missing assignments that can be completed to bring their grade up. Students have till the end of the quarter to submit. Check their email for reminders.
- Teachers also have office hours to help students complete assignments. Many are scheduled with students, but students are not attending.
- Did you know students can redo an assessments that received a failing score? Again, Teachers have office hours to reteach and help student redo assignments. Contact your child's teacher if your child needs additional help on an assignment.
Iready Testing
Within the next two weeks, students will be taking the iReady mid-year assessment in reading and math. This information is critical since we have been virtual for much of the year with these grades. Encourage your child to do his/her very best on the assessment as the data from the iReady assessment will help us tailor instruction for the third and fourth quarters. Directions will be posted in your child's Google Classroom. Thank you for your support with having your child do his/her best on the assessment.
Title One Update repost
Do you know what it means that FES is a Title I school? Title I, Part A is contained in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015. Title I, Part A is contained in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which was signed by President Obama on December 10, 2015. Title I, Part A is a federal program that provides financial assistance to local school systems and schools with high percentages of poor children to support the academic achievement of disadvantaged students. All twenty-four local education agencies in Maryland receive Title I funds; in Caroline County, all five elementary schools receive Title I funding.
At Federalsburg Elementary School, our funds support a wide range of supports including a Reading Resource Teacher and Math Resource Teacher. The funding also supports our Grade level Nights, the upcoming STEAM Night and Family Reading/Math Night in February. This year, some of our Title I funds have paid for the math manipulatives and take home Fundations materials that have been sent home in our grade level resource packets.
As you can see, these funds provide additional academic support and materials to help low-achieving children who attend Title I schools master challenging curricula and meet state standards. Title I funds support extra instructional support in reading and math, and materials of instruction including technology. If you have any questions about Title I and how the FES funds are allocated, please feel free to reach out to me.
Caroline County Public Schools continues to monitor the metrics of Covid in our area. I know many of our students are ready to return to school and the teachers are anxious to have students in person again. As soon as the Covid numbers decline, CCPS will make an appropriate decision about reopening schools. I appreciate your patience and understanding as the health and safety of everyone is our main priority.
FES Spirit Wear Still Available
We still have the following items for sale...
Order your FES Spirit Wear on myschoolbucks.com
Parents can also contact carels.kelly@ccpsstaff.org for pick-up options.
Youth short sleeve $12.00
2 small
2 medium
2 large
Youth long sleeve $16.00 each
2 medium
2 large
Adult hoodies $26.00 each
3 medium
1 large
Adult short sleeve $15.00 each
6 medium
4 large
1 XL
Early Dismissal Jan. 28th
Half-Day for 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th:
• 9:00 AM: Instruction begins
• 1:00 PM: Dismissal begins
Half-Day for PreK, K, and 3rd:
• 10:15 AM: Instruction begins
• 2:15 PM: Dismissal begins
Teachers will be posting in Google classrooms as well.
Covid-19 Information
In these difficult times, it’s easy for misinformation to spread. The goal of CCPS is to ensure communication protocols are thorough and transparent, while protecting employee and student privacy. Please remember that we do have a process for advising those identified as close contacts of a person testing positive. These notifications are followed by an email that tells staff and families of a positive COVID-19 case in our building.
This communication process can be found on the CCPS website page Positive Case Reports. This page also includes a weekly report, by building, of any positive cases reported among staff or students. Feel free to share this page with anyone needing accurate, verified information.