QUACK-tastic Snow @ Sussex

Sussex sent home devices and learning packets, Monday, 3/2, in case there is inclement weather that results in a need to shift to virtual learning. The packets sent home will be used if a virtual learning day is called again during the 2025-2026 school year.

Packets should be kept at home until they are used/needed- do not send them back to school until they are completed should virtual learning occur!

We hope we do not need the learning packets and to be in the building learning together, but it is always better to be prepared! All devices return to school with students each school day.

Good evening, families!

As many of you have heard, all BCPS schools and offices will transition to virtual learning tomorrow, Monday, February 23rd, in anticipation of inclement weather. Sussex will follow the same routines and procedures as our previous virtual learning days- and our Sussex Snow newsletter is back in action! Resources for virtual learning including our schedules, Google Meet codes, Google Meet resources, and more have been moved closer to the top for easy reference. Virtual learning will begin on a two-hour delay for all BCPS schools. Sussex will begin virtual learning at 11:00 a.m.

We look forward to seeing many of you virtually tomorrow. Please be sure to complete the learning packet if you are unable to log onto live learning. Stay warm, stay safe, and stay QUACK-tastic!

You can access the Sussex Snow newsletter here: https://app.smore.com/n/1c5kge

Weather forecasts are calling for inclement weather this weekend. As a reminder, BCPS has exhausted all three traditional inclement weather days for the 2025-26 school year.

For the remainder of the winter season, in the event of additional inclement weather-related closures, schools will transition to virtual learning, operating on a 2-hour delay schedule. Students should plan to bring devices and other instructional materials home with them on Friday, February 20. Schools will provide school-specific details as appropriate.

More information is available on the Virtual Instruction Plan webpage. More information about BCPS’ process for emergency notifications, school closings, and delays is available on the BCPS website.

Inclement Weather Survey

During the Feb. 10 Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Dr. Rogers reviewed the results of the Feb. 2026 inclement weather survey. Most respondents indicated a preference for virtual learning if BCPS has additional inclement weather-related closures.

Attendance/Participation for All Students: Students are considered 'present' on virtual learning days by logging on and participating in live instruction and/or returning their completed practice/instructional packet upon return to school.

Students in PS/PK-2nd grade do not have one-to-one devices per BCPS. These students have the option to log on to virtual learning using a personal device and their BCPS credentials; however, this is not an expectations to be considered 'present' on virtual learning days.

Students in 3rd-5th grade brought their fully charged device home from school. These students are encouraged to log on to live virtual instruction using their BCPS device or a personal device. Students in grades 3-5 can also be marked present by returning the completed practice/instructional packet upon returning to school.

Resources:

• Sussex Teacher Google Meet Codes & Email Addresses
• Sussex Virtual Learning Schedule
• Student learning/activity packets- Email your student's teacher for your grade level's packet!

• Logging on to Google Meet

• Entering a Google Meet with a Cell Phone- English and Spanish

• How to Switch Accounts on Google Meet App- English

• How to Switch Accounts on Google Meet App- Spanish

Ms. Bounelis' 3rd grade class continued their learning about forces in science class today!

A student and the family parrot showed up for morning announcements this morning!

Ms. Clemete's 1st graders were learning about shapes in math class! First they watched a video to review shapes and their attributes, then they practiced drawing shapes!

Ms. Cohen's 4th grade started their morning in a class meeting! After a connecting activity where students shared their opinion, Ms. Cohen and students reviewed expectations for virtual learning to ensure a great day of learning!

Virtual learning doesn't stop unpacking learning objectives in Ms. Cohen's class! Students knew exactly what they would be learning about and how they would be showing their learning!

Ms. Diotte's 2nd graders were using the 'three read strategy' to solve story problems in math!

Ms. Felter's 5th grade advanced math class explored exponents today!

Ms. Hess' 2nd grade started math class using number sense to guess Ms. Hess' secret number before practicing story problems!

Ms. Johnson's 3rd grade advanced math class practiced solving story problems with one-digit by two-digit factors!

Ms. Taylor didn't let her students working from home stop her from communicating with them- She read a story and sent it to those she could! Read alouds from afar for this kindergarten class!

Mr. Youngblood's 4th grade was caught solving story problems involving fractions! Students were practicing multiplying a fraction by a whole number.

Students were using different strategies to solve multiplication story problems in Ms. Wittman's 3rd grade class!

Ms. Taylor's 4th grade class was practicing multiplying fractions by a whole number using story problems! Students were provided small group instruction for extended practice!

Ms. Rivera's class was practicing shapes with a game of 'I Spy..."

Students in Ms. Lawson's 3rd grade class were practicing reading and vocabulary- they were looking at root words and using words in sentences to show their understanding!

Sure beatboxes sound cool, but do you know what they really are... do you know how the sound is really made? Students learned about that in music today!

Students in grades 3-5 are getting creative in Ms. Forline's art class with some digital art!

Students were learning about an art form with Ms. Jackson this afternoon!

Ms. Williams and her pup logged on for morning announcements! Her pup is being QUACK-tastic- he is listening so responsibly!

Students were continuing learning of multiplying a fraction by a whole number in Ms. Lafrancesca's 5th grade math class!

Students were going on a shape scavenger hunt in Ms. Rivera's classroom! After finding their shapes, students were explaining why a shape was two-dimensional or three-dimensional!

Opinion writing preparation happening in Mr. Derry's 5th grade class!

Ms. Al Qadi's 5th grade was gearing up to write their opinion essays, too! Ms. Al Qadi was reminding students to explain their opinions- Why, why, why?!

Ms. Wittman's class was caught sharing their opinions, too! Students were given three options for sharing their opinions with the class. They could use paper and pencil and show their answers to the camera, type their answers in the Google Meet chat, or post their answers in Schoology!

Students were learning about a new art form called, knolling! Ms. Forline taught students about the art form and then modeled how to create it themselves! If your student made cool art today with Ms. Forline, be sure to email it to Ms. Forline or Ms. Szymanski!

Ms. Maguire and students were learning about non-fiction text features! Students were explaining why an author would use a specific text feature to help a reader!

No device? No problem! Check out some of Ms. Hernandez's 2nd graders hard at work at home!

For updated information related to BCPS closings, delays, and other decisions related to inclement weather, be sure to check:

• BCPS official website
• BCPS official Facebook page
• Check your School Messenger communications (phone calls, emails, text messages)
• Local weather stations and new agencies

Good morning, families,

We are looking forward to seeing students today. As you read in our message last night, please make safe decisions for your students today. Please see the message sent by BCPS this morning regarding the two-hour delay and attendance- we have copied it into our Sussex Snow Newsletter.

There will be a causeway bus this morning. We have not received a bus number from the Office of Transportation. The bus will stop will remain the same, at the corner of South Marlyn and Martin.

Please note: All students should use the main entrance this morning. No students should use the back entrance this morning.

When coming to Sussex by car, please use extra caution and patience. There are many points at which passing is narrow and difficult to navigate two-way traffic, especially in larger vehicles and when buses are passing. Our focus this morning is students arriving safely and families traveling to and from drop-off safely- we will be flexible with the late bell this morning.

Stay safe and warm this morning. See you soon!

Sussex Snow Newsletter: https://app.smore.com/n/1c5kge

Hi, families,

As many of you have heard, schools will open two hours late tomorrow, Monday, February 2nd. Please review postings from BCPS on their website and social media platforms. Please make the safest choices for you and your students tomorrow. If you have a student you are allowing to walk to school or to a bus stop, please talk with about taking extra safety precautions tomorrow.

Again, please make decisions that are the safest for you and your family. Please contact the school if you have questions. Have a nice rest of your evening. Stay warm and stay safe.

Hi, families!

Day two is down! Thank you for another smooth and successful day of learning- virtual and at home! We have had so much success continuing learning the last two days- from vocabulary practice to opinion writing with peer editing, to exploring shapes and multiplying fractions- the snow didn’t stop Sussex!

As your proud principal, I want to acknowledge our teachers and staff for their tenacity with balancing home life and their virtual classrooms to keep students engaged in grade level concepts. I want to acknowledge our students who were able to show up for virtual learning for persevering through technical difficulties they may have experienced and for demonstrating the virtues in our School Promise while in their virtual classrooms. I want to acknowledge our students who made sure to complete their learning packets at home! Many of you interacted with your teachers through Talking Points! And very importantly, I want to thank all parents, guardians, and family members for their support, patience, and understanding during this transition. Your support does not go unnoticed or unappreciated!

At this time, BCPS has made no statements regarding schools and offices for Monday, February 2nd. Unless a statement is made, the intent is for schools and offices to reopen at that time. We will continue to update our Sussex Snow Edition newsletter until we are back in the school building!

Lastly, the Sussex Snow Edition is updated with many new pictures from learning today! Please check it out for great moments across many grade levels! Please send more pictures and I will happily update over the weekend! We currently have 11 responses on our virtual learning argument survey from 6 staff members, 5 family members, and 1 student! Right now, 72% of you say, ‘Yes’ you think virtual learning is a good choice to support learning during snow!

Have a wonderful weekend. Stay warm and stay safe!

Link to Sussex Snow Edition: https://app.smore.com/n/1c5kge

Good evening, families!

Day one of virtual learning is complete! We want to thank everyone for their flexibility, support, patience, and understanding as we navigated today together! Many of you utilized resources such as the Smore newsletter, Talking Points, email, phone calls to the office, Schoology, and more to help navigate and troubleshoot throughout the day today. Whether students were learning at home in their packets or logged into their Google Meet, we had learning happening!

Tomorrow will be the same as today! Your teachers will be ready to greet you at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Students will be considered present if they log into a Google Meet session or return their completed work packet to school on Monday. Please continue to reference our Sussex Snow Edition newsletter for resources and information and reach out if you have questions.

The Sussex Snow Edition has been updated with pictures from virtual learning today! If you have great memories you would like to share from learning at home today, please send them my way (jszymanski2@bcps.org). The weather may be keeping us in, but we aren't letting that stop us from learning and growing at Sussex- whether it is on paper or on the computer!

The newsletter link remains the same and is linked below! Currently, we have six 'viable arguments' about whether or not virtual learning is a good decision! Shout out to our students Alexa in kindergarten as our one student response! Shout out to mom, Ms. Boone, and grandmom, Ms. Smith, for constructing those viable arguments to represent out families! And shout out to Ms. Hess, Ms. Natalie, and Ms. Wittman for sharing their opinions as staff members! Keep your 'viable arguments' coming! When we return, we will have a raffle for a $10.00 Dunkin Donuts gift card for all those that participated in our snow surveys!

Link to Sussex Snow Edition: https://app.smore.com/n/1c5kge

Hi, families!

Happy first day of virtual learning! The newsletter has been updated with additional information for our virtual day. We have added resources for accessing Google Meet!

Sussex Snow Edition Newsletter: https://app.smore.com/n/1c5kge

We will 'see' many of you for virtual learning at 11:00 a.m.!

Hi, families,

Hope you are enjoying the snow and ice- and saying warm! BCPS has shifted to virtual learning for the next two days- Thursday, January 29th, and Friday, January 30th. Please see information for Sussex's virtual learning on the Sussex Snow Edition newsletter! Information has been moved to the top for your convenience. We have also updated information regarding attendance and participation as we understand confusion related to BCPS not being one-to-one with student devices in all grade levels.

We understand the shift to virtual learning requires flexibility and patience. Please review information provided on the newsletter and make decisions that are best, safest, and most convenient for your family during this winter event. Phones will be answered tomorrow between the hours of 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Please understand that while the front office may not be able to answer your question fully, they will be able to get you in contact with the appropriate staff member within a reasonable amount of time during the school day!

We appreciate you and all you do to support our school community- your students well-being and education, and your support of our staff! We will navigate the next two days together as a school family! Please continue to send those snow pictures and we will continue to update the newsletter! Special shout-out to Ms. Graft and Jackson in 2nd grade for making snow predictions! They each won an sweet treat from the cafeteria on Mr. Peregoy and me when we return to the building!

Be sure to check out the new survey in the Sussex Snow Edition! We will 'see' many of you for virtual learning tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.!

Sussex Snow Edition Newsletter: https://app.smore.com/n/1c5kge

Hi, families!

As you most likely have heard, BCPS schools and offices will be closed Monday, 1/26, and Tuesday, 1/27. We have created a special 'Sussex Snow Edition' newsletter for families! It includes information and resources regarding BCPS inclement weather plan, Sussex's inclement weather plan resources, and pictures of Sussex family snow fun! Be sure to keep this link as we will update it as needed the next few days!

Link to newsletter: https://app.smore.com/n/1c5kge

Hi, families!

Happy snow day! We hope you are enjoying the first snow of significant accumulation in years! We were working with BCPS throughout the day Friday as updated information related to inclement weather and possible virtual learning continued to be shared.

As you are aware, if BCPS closes due to inclement weather the first three days (Monday-Wednesday) would be traditional snow days. If BCPS close Monday through Thursday, Thursday would transition to virtual learning. If this decision is made, we will send further communication with scheduling information.

In preparation for possible virtual learning, we sent materials home with students on Friday. All students received a learning packet, a choice board for special areas, and a list of teachers’ Google Meet codes and email addresses. The list of Google Meet codes includes your student’s personal BCPS username and password.

BCPS sent devices home with students in grades 3-5. Devices came home fully charged because there is not a supply of chargers to send home with students.

As information is provided, we will share updates through School Messenger. Please enjoy the snow- please send pictures of our students enjoying the snow! You can send them to my email- jszymanski2@bcps.org!

Have fun, stay warm, and stay safe!

Ms. Szymanski's Fin & Liv enjoy their snow day pajamas more than the snow and their coats!

Mr. Peregoy's dog, Tucker, was NOT excited about his first snow day!

Ms. Graf's dog, Lilie, loves the snow!

Ms. Natalie and Rei are practicing their measuring skills! They're attending to precision (a Standard of Mathematical Practice) by using a ruler!

Ms. Maguire's dog, Edgar, loves the snow, but isn't a fan of the boots!

Ezra had fun playing in the snow inside and out- We have a professional snow-angel creator at Sussex!

Ms. Sara & her family made snow ice cream!

Ms. Taylor's (kindergarten) girls are having a blast in the snow and then enjoying some hot chocolate to warm up!

Ms. Clemente and her pup are having a blast all bundled up in the snow!

Ms. Natalie captured Rei and their pup having some fun in the snow (and ice)!

Ms. Bounelis, her husband, and their daughter had fun playing in the show!

Mr. Peregoy and his family- and the dog- went sledding!

Ms. Natalie and her family went sledding at Eastern Tech!

Ms. Jackson shoveled and shoveled and shoveled.... welcome to, Mt. Jackson!

Ms. Nicola and her family- and even their dog- are working hard and having fun in the snow!

Ms. Taylor (4th) and her girls have been having a blast enjoying the snow and snow days together!

Check out Ezra helping shovel- what responsibility and kindness! He is being QUACK-tastic on his snow days!

Jackson and Caiden had some fun tubing in the snow!

Asaiah having a blast playing in the snow with his brother!