Ilchester Cheetah Chatter

LaShonne Wright, Assistant Principal

Website: ies.hcpss.org

Location: Ilchester Elementary School, 4981 Ilchester Road, Ellicott City, Maryland 21045
Phone: 410-313-2524

For another language, click "Translate Newsletter" tab and select the language of choice in the upper right-hand corner.

Para otros idiomas, haga clic en Traducir Newsletter y elija el idioma que prefiera.

다른 언어의 경우 뉴스 레터 번역을 클릭하고 원하는 언어를 선택합니다.

对于其他语言，请单击翻译新闻通讯，然后选择所需的语言。

دوسری زبانوں کے لئے ، نیوزلیٹر کا ترجمہ کریں پر کلک کریں اور اپنی پسند کی زبان کا انتخاب کریں۔

Welcome to the 2026-27 school year! We hope you are enjoying the summer and making wonderful memories with family and friends. We want to wish a warm welcome to our returning and new students and families! We are so excited to welcome you back to school in a few weeks. Now that we are less than a month from the first day of school, we thought this would be a good time to send out some information and updates to our school community so you can begin to plan for a successful school year. Please take the time to review the information in this summer newsletter. The information will help you as you plan for the upcoming school year.

This is the Cheetah Chatter school newsletter, and it will be published weekly throughout the school year through email, Talking Points, and social media. Be sure to look for this newsletter on Friday mornings at 7:00 a.m. in your email inbox starting in September. Please be sure not to mark emails from IES or HCPSS as junk or spam. We find out that a number of people get blocked from all IES and HCPSS communication when you mark the email as spam or junk.

In addition to important school information, our PTA has a section in the weekly newsletter. They do not publish their own newsletter, so please be sure to look for the PTA's information. If you ever miss an issue of the newsletter or need to review a previous issue, all Cheetah Chatter will be available on the main page of the IES website. We hope you find the information helpful.

We hope you enjoy the next few weeks of summer, and we look forward to seeing you later this month. If we can help in any way, please reach out to us by email or call us at 410-313-2524.

Mr. Cosentino, Principal

For a complete list of dates and events visit https://ies.hcpss.org/events.

August

• 17 - Rising Kindergarten Playdate, 4:30 p.m.
• 19 - ECSE & Kindergarten Back to School Night, 6:30 p.m.
• 21 - New Student Orientation, 12:30 p.m.
• 21 - RECC & PK Open House, 12:30 p.m.
• 21 - Open House for Last Names A-M, 1:15 p.m.
• 21 - Open House for Last Names N-Z, 2:!5 p.m.
• 24 - First Day of School (K-5)
• 27 - First Day of School for PK/RECC)

September

• 3 - Bonnie Branch MS Back-to-School Night
• 7 - Schools and offices Closed, Labor Day
• 9 - Back-to-School Night for Grades 1 & 2
• 10 - Back-to-School Night for Grades 3, 4, & 5
• 21 - Schools and office closed, Yom Kippur
• 30 - Schools close 3 hours early, Staff Professional Learning Day, 12:55 p.m.

To subscribe to the IES calendar on your smartphone, electronic device, or email system, go to the bottom of the IES calendar page and subscribe to the calendars of your choice.

Tentative Related Arts Color Day schedule

Students participate in related arts daily for one hour. There are five related arts classes: Art, Media, Music, Physical Education, and Technology. A few years ago, we moved from a set or fixed daily related arts schedule to a rotating related arts schedule. The rotating schedule is called the Related Arts Color Calendar. We rotate days using the color calendar because there are a disproportional number of days off on Mondays and Fridays. This used to mean students would have up to 6 fewer Monday or Friday related arts versus the other classes and days of the week. Your child's teacher will share their specific related arts color day assignments with you. It is very important to make sure your child dresses appropriately for the classes he/she has for related arts, especially for physical education.

Please join us on Friday, August 21, for our Annual Open House! This event is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s teacher, visit their classroom, and drop off school supplies before the first day of school.

Because we serve 500 students, open house times are staggered by last name to help manage crowding.

Hello! We hope you are enjoying the rest of your summer. The PTA has some upcoming events we wanted to remind you about:

Rising Kindergarten Playdate

Come meet some of your PTA board and kindergarten teachers at the IES playground. Enjoy some popsicles and get to know one another. We'll inform you of the date soon

Chalk the Walk

We'd like to have students and their families come by the school and write encouraging messages for the upcoming school year! We will have some chalk out and a PTA board member to supervise. It's on August 23 from 1-3. Chalk will be provided. Please don't draw on walls or under the awning.

Stock the lounge

We'd like to stock up the teacher lounge with some items they may enjoy for the upcoming school year. Here is the Amazon wishlist if you wish to participate:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/19OE7KU48N85I?ref_=wl_share

Shortly after I arrived at Ilchester Elementary, I sent an introductory email to our school community and invited students, staff, and families to complete an input survey. I am incredibly grateful that more than 50 members of our community took the time to respond. Thank you!

Your feedback has been invaluable in helping me learn about our school, understand what makes Ilchester such a special place for students to learn and grow, and identify the many strengths that already exist within our community. Your responses have also provided thoughtful insights into areas where we can continue to grow and improve together.

Below, you will find summaries of the responses to each of the survey questions. Thank you again for your honesty, your encouragement, and your commitment to making Ilchester Elementary an exceptional place for every child.

Our fourth-quarter Measures That Matter report is linked below. We are proud of the tremendous growth achieved during the 2025–26 school year, thanks to the care and dedication of our amazing teachers, paraeducators, and staff. As we reflect on last year’s successes, we remain committed to setting new goals and achieving even greater growth in the year ahead.

Soon, it will be time to update your child's emergency contact information in HCPSS Connect! This is the most important step as we prepare for the start of the 2026-2027 school year. Please plan to do that when HCPSS opens the portal. Your Family File needs to be updated every school year. This must be done for new and returning families.

HCPSS Connect is open to update your Family File. This information is very important! Please take the time to do this now. It is very important to have your Family File information complete prior to the first day of school.

You will be asked to update or provide the following information:

• Parent/guardian contact information. Please provide the most current contact information.
  
• Emergency contacts: Who do you want to pick up your child in case you cannot?
• Medical information: Your child's health information.
• Arrival and dismissal procedures. How will your child arrive to school and be dismissed on a daily basis? Additionally, provide what procedure your child should follow in case of an unscheduled early closing of schools.
• Media coverage. This includes students being photographed.
• Data confidentiality. Permission to release your child’s information to various organizations.
• Directory. What information do you want to be included in our IES Family Directory?

You can access HCPSS Connect here http://www.hcpss.org/connect/

Changes of address may not be made through Family File. If you have recently moved, please contact our Ilchester ES office at 410-313-2524 as soon as possible.

Parents who have forgotten their login credentials for Family File may click the “Forgot Password” link on the sign-in page. If you need additional assistance, please fill out this Connect Help Form.

To qualify for Free and Reduced Meals, families will need to apply for that benefit.

HCPSS participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, which provides families with significant benefits to help save money. Qualification is based on family size and income, and enrollment is confidential. All children in households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can get free meals regardless of income, and students from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals. Those eligible for reduced-price lunch pay $0.10 and breakfast is free.

Free and Reduced Meals eligibility provides discounts for summer programs, SAT, recreation programs, Maryland Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and internet programs.

Bus Routes Coming Soon...

Bus routes and transportation information will be included in our next school newsletter. The HCPSS Transportation Department will release bus route information later in August, so please watch for those details in the upcoming newsletter.

Bus Assignments

Bus assignments are based on each student's home address. The Transportation Department carefully determines routes to help ensure student safety, including minimizing the need for students to cross busy roads such as Kerger Road and Montgomery Run Road.

Bus Change Request Form

If your child needs to ride a different bus on a regular basis than the one assigned, we will soon share a Transportation Change Request Form. Completing this form will help us maintain accurate transportation information and ensure your child's safety.

Bus Luggage Tags

All students who ride the school bus will receive a Bus Luggage Tag. Families can pick up their child's tag at the Transportation Table in the lobby during Open House.

Please attach the tag securely to your child's backpack before the first day of school. The tag should remain on the backpack throughout the entire school year to help staff ensure students board the correct bus.

Car Rider Pick-Up Signs

If your child will be a car rider, please pick up a Car Rider Pick-Up Sign at the Transportation Table during Open House.

Please write your child's last name clearly in the white space between the headlights and display the sign in your vehicle during afternoon dismissal. This helps our staff safely and efficiently identify students for pick-up.

Thank you for helping us ensure a safe and smooth dismissal process for all students!

We encourage you to drop off your school supplies during Open House on August 21. Please be sure to clearly label your child's supplies with his/her name.

What Your Child Will Learn guides provide an overview of the instructional program for your child’s grade, as well as student goals and expectations. The guides include information to help parents monitor and support their child’s progress during the school year.

Individual guides are provided for each grade level. Each grade level guide provides information categorized by curriculum area, e.g., Language Arts, Science, etc.

The guides are available online only; print versions are no longer distributed. Specific guide webpages may be printed from the website.

Specific student programs may differ depending on instructional needs.

• Kindergarten
• Grade One
• Grade Two
• Grade Three
• Grade Four
• Grade Five

TalkingPoints is a secure school-to-home communication platform that helps educators and families stay connected through two-way messaging. Messages are automatically translated into more than 150 languages, making it easier for all families to communicate in their preferred language. By providing accessible, timely communication, TalkingPoints strengthens partnerships between home and school and supports student success.TalkingPoints makes it simple—and free—for families to connect with their children’s teachers. You can use any of these three convenient options:

• Text messaging

• Download the TalkingPoints for Families app

• Access TalkingPoints for Families on the web

More information will be shared when school starts.

Summer Reading Lists

As part of the A+ Partnership with the Howard County Library System, summer reading lists developed by HCPSS library media specialists and Howard County Library System Children’s Instruction and Research staff are available for students in all grade levels. Books included are just a sampling of what students may enjoy reading during the summer. Students are encouraged to check out other books by the authors included as well as explore additional book topics at the library.

Recommended lists for all grade levels are available both in schools and online.

A+ Student Card

All HCPSS students received an A+ Student Card account number. With it, they have access to all HCLS eContent by using their account number to login via hcpss.me. Using their A+ Student Card, students can place holds and check out physical materials, as well as take advantage of all the library’s digital resources.

MackinVIA

All students have access to their school’s digital MackinVIA eBook and audiobook collection all summer long by logging in through hcpss.me with their active directory credentials.

Students continue to have access to all the digital tools they used during the school year. This includes databases available from the “Databases” tab in MackinVIA, such as:

• CultureGrams, which offers country reports on over 200 cultures of the world.
• World Book Online Reference Center, which includes encyclopedia, multimedia, e-book and primary source databases.

Summer Activities

Students can use their digital tools, available at hcpss.me, to document and celebrate their summer activities. Elementary students can use Wixie to create a summer postcard or travel journal. All students can utilize G-Suite to create a slideshow of their favorite summer day.