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

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We are excited to welcome close to 475 students back to Ilchester Elementary School on Monday, August 24. Our incredible staff is busy preparing for our student's arrival, and we cannot wait to see our amazing students. We hope you enjoyed receiving welcome calls from your child's homeroom teacher this week. We know how important it is to connect with families prior to the start of school. We hope to see you at our open house sessions on Friday. During open house, please visit your child's current teacher. It is not a time to visit other classrooms. You may only visit your child's class for that open house session. Please also plan to attend our Back-to-School nights. Those dates are listed below.

Mr. Cosentino, Principal

Ms. Wright, Assistant Principal

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

August.

• 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.

HCPSS Academic Calendar

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.

Parents can email IESabsence@hcpss.org to report a student’s absence. Please include your child(ren)’s full name, parent’s/guardian’s full name and phone number, the date your child(ren) was absent and the reason. Parents may instead choose to send in a paper excuse note to their child’s teacher with the same information when the student returns to school.

For families requesting local discretionary absences, please complete a Local Discretionary Absence Request Form and submit it to the front office at least one week in advance.

Please 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.

Attention 4th graders and parents! Representatives from Mike's Music and students from Howard High School will be in the cafeteria from 1:15- 3:15 on Friday, August 21 during both sessions of Open House to help you try out the instruments you could play in 4th grade. Ms. Baker will be there to answer any question you or your parents might have as well.

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 Assignments

Bus assignments are based on each student's home address. Go to your Family File to find out your bus number, the bus stop location, and the estimated time the bus will pick up.

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/Falls Run Road.

Bus Change Request Form

If your child needs to ride a different bus on a regular basis than the one assigned, there is a process to request to change a bus. Please visit the front office for the Application for Alternative Bus Service form.

There are two buses that serves students who live off Kerger Road. Use the information on the grid and corresponding numbered bus stop to locate your assigned bus.

• Bus 127 serves students on the southern and western of Kerger road.
• Bus 257 serves students on the northern and eastern side of Kerger road.

Students should not cross Kerger Road.

There are two buses that serves students who live in the Montgomery Run and Falls Run Communities. Use the information on the grid and corresponding numbered bus stop to locate your assigned bus.

• Bus 121 serves students in the shaded regions of the Montgomery Run Road and Falls Run Road communities.

Students should not cross Montgomery Run Road or Falls Run Road.

• Bus 155 serves students in the shaded regions of the Montgomery Run Road and Falls Run Road communities.

Students should not cross Montgomery Run Road or Falls Run Road.

Bus Luggage Tags

All students who ride the school bus will receive a Bus Luggage Tag. Families will pick up their tag from their homeroom teacher 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.

Students who do not have a luggage tag on the first day of school will be given one that day.

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.

Howard County Recreation & Parks offers a variety of before and after school programs at Ilchester Elementary School. Please click the button below to access the Fall 2026 Before & After School Classes at Ilchester ES.