Greetings EES Families,

Wow! We are over half way through with October already, and the first quarter is rapidly coming to a close. Quarter 1 ends on Thursday, October 30. To learn more about Standards Based Instruction and Reporting (SBIR) and the Grades 3-5 new report card, review the following resources:

This week we will also be practicing bus evacuations as a part of National School Bus Safety Week.

Battle of the Books:

The Howard County Library System and Howard County Public School System are excited to bring you a Battle of the Books event for 2025.

Battle of the Books is an incredible reading opportunity available to all Howard County 5th grade students. All you need is an adult coach and a team of three to five 5th grade students. The students will read 10 pre-determined books and compete at Merriweather Post Pavilion in April.

Registration starts at 10am on October 14th. If your student is interested, please register your team using the link below. If your student is looking to join a team, please email Ms. Cliff at nina_cliff@hcpss.org.

Battle of the Books website: https://hclibrary.org/battle-of-the-books/

Report Cards:

Report cards will be available in Synergy on Friday, November 8, 2024. As a reminder to parents of 3rd - 5th grade students, the report cards will be based on the updated Standards Based Instructional Reporting (SBIR) format. Below is additional information that will explain what the updated 3rd - 5th Grade report card will look like. Additional information can be found at the Elementary Standards Based Instruction and Reporting parent page.

November Parent / Teacher Conferences:

November conferences are quickly approaching. This year, conferences will be organized a bit differently:

K-2nd Grade - ELA Teacher

3rd - 5th Grade - AM Teacher

The conference schedule opens up on November 8, 2024 at 8:00 am. At that time, please log in through your parent portal account to schedule a conference. The conference schedule is open through Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 4:00 PM.

Monday, November 25, 2024: In-Person Conferences only

Tuesday, November 26, 2024: Virtual Conferences only

Wednesday, November 27, 2024: Virtual Conferences only

PTA Fall Festival:

The PTA is getting ready for the Fall Festival. This awesome event will take place on Friday, October 25, 2024 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Please see the PTA Newsletter for additional information!

Car Loop:

Please be sure not to have any cell phones in your hands as you move through the car loop, as this is against the law. Moving through the car loop, it is important to stay alert to the staff members guiding you safely in and out of the school in the morning and afternoon. Please support our staff and students by ensuring that we are refraining from using cell phones while driving on campus. Several staff members have almost been hit by cars with distracted driving on campus. Please be aware of the motion path and movement throughout the school campus.

Recess:

We have observed students attempting to play touch football during recess. While we encourage active play and fun, we kindly ask for your support in reminding your child that football is not allowed during recess for safety reasons. Our goal is to ensure that all students have a safe and enjoyable recess experience. Thank you for partnering with us to reinforce this important safety message. We appreciate your support in keeping recess safe for everyone.

Early Pick-up From School:

Please know that on a full day of school, the end time to pick your child up early is at 3:15 PM. Please make sure to have your ID with you when you come in to pick your child early from school.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Kelley Powell, Principal

LaShonne Wright, Assistant Principal

Jonathan Swann, Assistant Principal

The EES Math Committee has been working hard to create engaging activities for the EES community. Please mark your calendars for MATH NIGHT on Thursday, November 7th from 6:00- 7:30 pm. MATH NIGHT will begin with a presentation for families to learn about the various resources that are available through the HCPSS site and canvas. You will learn where to find the curriculum as well as where to find supporting resources to use at home. The second part of MATH NIGHT will allow parents and their children to participate in hands on math-based activities focused on primary and intermediate math skills. We hope you will be able to join us for a marvelous math night!

Phonological Awareness:

This month at Elkridge Elementary, we will be focusing on phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is the ability to hear, recognize, and play with the sounds in spoken English. Strong phonemic awareness is one of the strongest predictors of later reading success!

Throughout the month of October, teachers at Elkridge Elementary will be taking advantage of phonological awareness activities that will be posted throughout the hallways in our building. During transitions, the teachers will practice these activities with students. For example, in our 1st grade hallways, teachers will say a posted sentence and students will hold up on their hands the number of words that they hear in that sentence. In our 4th grade hallway, students will be asked to change sounds in words to make new words. Ask your child what hallway activities they have enjoyed this month.

You can find out more about phonological awareness and engaging activities that you can do at home or in the car with your child by accessing the following links.

• Primary Grades: Reading Rockets Phonological Awareness

• Intermediate Grades: 20 Phonemic Awareness Activities for Students

Young Author's Contest:

Calling all writers! The Howard County Literacy Association invites students in grades 1 - 5 to submit their original poems and/or short stories to the annual writing contest called The Young Authors' Contest (YAC).

Please see the attached Young Authors’ Contest Guidelines for information about the rules and guidelines. All entries must have a completed YAC Cover Sheet sent as a PDF. Submissions may be emailed to Katelyn_Barr@hcpss.org by December 20, 2024. Contact Katelyn Barr with any questions. All Young Authors’ Contest information can be found on the HCLA website.

Howard County Literacy Association welcomes parents as members. Visit the HCLA Welcome Page for information about joining!

HCPSS participates in the Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMs) program. Qualification. is based on family size and income, and enrollment is confidential.

Participation in FARMs qualifies students for a wide range of opportunities and resources beyond breakfast and lunch, including free college applications, free or reduced JumpStart tuition, discounted internet through the Comcast Internet Essentials program, and more.

Families must submit a new application every school year by Oct. 31. During the first 30 school days, students with FARMs eligibility from the prior school year will continue to receive benefits. Any student whose family has not filled out an application by the 30th school day will have their status changed to full pay until a new application is received.

Parents/guardians are highly encouraged to fill out the applications as soon as possible. It is very important that applications are filled out accurately and completely. Families can:

• Apply Online by clicking the link below
• Apply by mail: Paper applications can be picked up in the Food and Nutrition Service Office (5451 Beaverkill Rd, Columbia, MD 21044). Applications can be returned to your child’s school or mailed to: HCPSS Food & Nutrition Service Office, 10910 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042.

If you have questions regarding the program, please visit www.hcpss.org/FARMs or call Food and Nutrition Services at 410-313-6743.

We thoroughly enjoy when parents come in to enjoy lunch with their child. We ask that you remember the following when visiting:

1. Before entering the cafeteria, please sign in at the front office to obtain a visitors pass.
   
   
2. Food may not be shared with other students in the cafeteria. Food that is brought in from outside sources (fast food lunch, cupcakes, etc. etc.) cannot be guaranteed to be allergen free. Therefore, to protect students, any food that is brought into the cafeteria may only be shared with the child you are visiting.
   
   
3. When dining with your child, please sit at a table that is either empty, or that has a few students at it.

As a general reminder for our students who sit at the allergy table, it is important that the same student(s) should sit at this table everyday. If two friends are going to sit at the table with a friend who has a peanut allergy, it should be the same students. If one student brings lunch that day they will not be able to sit at the allergy/peanut table that day.