The Fulton Flier

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, a time to strengthen our collective commitment to creating safe, supportive school communities where every student feels a sense of belonging. Bullying prevention is not just about responding when something happens; it is about the relationships, environments, and everyday actions that help prevent bullying from happening in the first place.

Bullying prevention starts at home, too. Families can make a difference by keeping the lines of communication open and regularly talking with children about friendships, school experiences, group chats, social media, and how they and their peers treat one another.

Encourage your child to identify trusted adults they can turn to when something doesn't feel right. Talk about what they can safely do if they witness someone being mistreated—such as getting an adult, refusing to join in or laugh, checking on the student afterward, or reporting what they saw.

Being an upstander applies online, too. Remind children that liking, sharing, forwarding, commenting on, or reposting hurtful content can increase its impact. Instead, encourage them to avoid participating, save evidence when appropriate, support the person being targeted, and tell a trusted adult.

Children also learn from what they see. Modeling kindness, empathy, inclusion, and respect for others helps reinforce the behaviors we want to see in our schools and communities.

Talk. Notice. Include. Speak Up. Together, we can help create communities where every student feels safe, supported, and valued.

More bullying prevention information and resources can be found on the HCPSS Stop Bullying website.

October

27 Chick Filet Fundraiser- See below!

28 School closed for students: Staff Professional Learning/Workday

30 End of Quarter 1 Celebrations- During the school day! More information to come!

November

1 PTA Fall Fest- Information below!

3 Schools and Offices Closed- Election Day

6 Fulton Friday- Wear your Fulton gear or colors!

6 Conference Scheduling begins at 8:00am at hcpss.org/connect

6 Q1 Report Cards Issued starting at 4:00pm at hcpss.org/connect

11 Wear Red, White, and Blue for Veteran's Day

16 - 20 American Education Week- More Information to come!

23 & 24 Parent/Teacher Conferences- See below.

25 - 27 Schools & Offices Closed for Thanksgiving

December

9 Schools Close 3 hours early- Staff Professional Development

16 Band/Strings/Chorus Concert at RHS

December 24 -January 3 Winter Break

CLICKHEREfortheHCPSS26-27AcademicCalendar(DatesOnly)

Navigating special education can bring questions, and families don’t have to navigate the process alone! The HCPSS Department of Special Education created a Special Education Handbook to help families understand the special education process, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), available supports, and parental rights. The handbook also includes frequently asked questions and additional resources.

Whether your family is new to special education or looking to better understand your child’s services, we encourage you to explore this helpful resource. Your voice and partnership are essential as we work together to support your child’s success!

Information to support your understanding of the special education process can be found HERE.

Parents and guardians are their child’s first teachers, and your insight is essential to helping your child succeed. When families and educators work closely together, students benefit. MSDE has created this guides for families. The link is below.

The Family Guides for Student Success outline the key literacy and math skills your child will learn from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. These guides show what students should know by the end of each grade and support your child in meeting Maryland’s learning expectations. Your partnership with your child’s teacher makes the biggest difference. Stay in communication, ask questions, and reach out for ideas or activities to support learning at home.

MSDE is currently updating the Family Guides on this website to ensure they meet federal accessibility requirements and to provide clearer vocabulary and concepts in the math sections.

https://marylandpublicschools.org/about/pages/dcipl/family-guides.aspx

Please visit the Fulton PTA website for more information: https://www.fespta.org/

Fulton Elementary Reflections Contest

Calling all creative Falcons! The National PTA Reflections theme this year is “What My Culture Means to Me!” Students in Pre-K through 5th grade are invited to express their creativity through visual arts or literature. Share your family traditions, heritage, stories, and what makes your culture special! Register today! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1efsGYQ-Wk9QselGPddI0WB3K0uUMTXqR1cm99YfkLbg/viewform?edit_requested=true

Staff Lounge Donations

November conferences will be here before we know it! We’re getting a head start on stocking the Fulton Elementary staff lounge with snacks, drinks, and treats for our amazing teachers. Please consider signing up to donate!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B45A4AD28A0FE3-65430364-fulton?useFullSite=true#/

FES Favorite Things

Are you curious about what your child's teacher's favorite snack is? When their birthday is? Check out a list of their favorite things!

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lNr9RpT5wW1Dt-8QHMwoBnKypi3qOOPL2twi2uAph4Y/edit?gid=418399895#gid=418399895

Upcoming Dates

Pumpkin Patch

10/19, 10/26 • Fulton Elementary

Monday is the next day of our Pumpkin Patch! Students will get to visit their very own pumpkin patch right here at school and choose a pumpkin to bring home and decorate. First & Fourth Grade — you’re up next! We can’t wait to see all the pumpkin fun!

Chick-fil-A Fundraiser

10/27 • 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. • Chick-fil-A

October 27th is Spirit Day at Chick-fil-A! Stop by anytime from 6 a.m.- 10 p.m. to support Fulton- 20% of all sales will be donated back to the school! Be sure to mention FES when you order!

Fall Fest
11/1 • 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. • Fulton Elementary

Join us for the much-anticipated Fall Fest on November 1 from 1- 4 p.m. at Fulton! Purchase your Fall Fest tickets in advance and save. Join us for an afternoon of fall fun, including bounce houses, a candy bar walk, gaga ball, pumpkin ring toss, a glow party, and so much more. Bring your whole family to this community event! https://app.givebacks.gives/fesfallfest2026/Campaign/Details

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences

The Parent-Teacher Conference scheduling window will open on November 6th. Conferences will take place on November 23- November 25.

Schedule

• In- person conferences will be held on Monday, Nov. 23rd only

• Virtual conferences will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 24th and/or
  Wednesday, Nov. 25th only depending on teacher availability

• For fall conferences:

• Homeroom/Language Arts teachers will be available for all grades.

• Our advanced academic teachers will also be available for Math conferences for 4th Grade
  Advanced Math only. (Math conferences for all other grades/teachers will
  be held in February.) This will help allow for more teacher availability to meet with families.

Families will sign up for conferences using Synergy beginning November 6th. Here’s how to schedule a conference:

Log in to HCPSS Connect to view and select your time slot:

• Go to https://www.hcpss.org/connect/

• Select “Conference” from the left menu.

• Choose “Parent Scheduled Conferences” at the top right.

• Pick a convenient time slot.

Please view the following helpful guides:

https://www.hcpss.org/connect/guides/

https://help.hcpss.org/when-and-how-can-i-register-for-parent-teacher-
conferences

If you cannot access HCPSS Connect, please contact the school for assistance.

The scheduling window will remain open from Friday, November 6th, at 8:00 am through Thursday, November 19th, at 4:00 pm. After Nov. 19th, families must call the front office secretaries directly to check availability and schedule a conference.

Fulton Friday's are back! Fulton Friday is a day for our school community to show their Fulton pride and if your student wants to participate, your student can wear Fulton attire or the school's colors blue and/or raspberry. Fulton Friday is the first Friday of each month.

Fulton Fridays will be:

Friday, November 6th

Friday, December 4th

Friday, January 8th

Friday, February 5th

Friday, March 5th

Friday, April 2nd

Friday, May 7th

Friday, June 4th

The Howard County Health Department will offer free flu shots at multiple community events this fall. See the flyer for more information.
Howard_County_Flu_Clinics.pdf

Emergency Information

HCPSS utilizes Family File for families to complete emergency information. Parents/guardians can now access and complete Family File by logging in to HCPSS Connect, selecting the Online Registration/Family File at the top right of the page and then selecting Family File Verification. Parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child, each school year