Linton Springs Weekly News

Email: lseattendance@carrollk12.org
Website: www.carrollk12.org/lse
Location: 375 Ronsdale Road, Sykesville, MD, USA
Phone: 410-751-3280

Students and families,

Ms. Benner, Ms. Bailey, our teachers, and staff extend a warm welcome to our new and returning students to Linton Springs Elementary.

Our first day of school is Tuesday, September 8th.

This fall will surely be a very new school experience for all of us, but we are excited to start the virtual teaching process and are working hard to create the very best experience for our students.

Our number one goal rolling into the fall will be to provide informative and timely communication. We will be utilizing this family newsletter often to share calendar updates, technology news, and answers to frequently asked questions. We will be utilizing our Website more this year for updates as well. You can also expect to receive grade-level newsletters from your student's teacher(s).

Virtual learning may be challenging and sometimes stressful but please know that our staff is committed to helping each and every one of our students reach his/her academic goals, enjoy an equitable and rigorous learning experience, and practice healthy habits for both mind and body.

A few highlights of this letter:

• The Home Access Center will be live on August 14th with teacher assignments. It also contains student email and passwords. Instructions on how to access that information and more are below.
• We have compiled a School Supply List for students with highlighted items and suggestions to help prepare a home learning environment and to create a little back to school excitement.
• As in the Spring, we will evaluate our students' needs in terms of technology including the distribution of laptops and assistance with internet access. Please see the Technology Needs section that follows.
• And we will still hold Back to School sessions and an Open House virtually.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to your classroom teacher or to any of our staff for assistance at any time. We are here for you!

Ms. Benner and Ms. Bailey

AUGUST

14th - Home Access Center goes LIVE!

You can access your child's teacher/teachers - If you cannot login into the Home Access Center, see the tips and instructions in the Home Access Center section.

SEPTEMBER

September 4th - Linton Springs Elementary Virtual Open House

Invitations/directions will come via classroom teachers by Wednesday, September 2nd.

7th - Schools/Offices Closed - Labor Day

8th - FIRST DAY of SCHOOL for Grades K-12

14th - FIRST DAY of School for Pre-K Students

We will also hold virtual Back to School evening sessions (more details to come).

OCTOBER

16th - Schools Closed for Students - Professional Development Day for Teachers

We will continue to evaluate our student's needs in terms of technology including the distribution of laptops and assistance with internet access.

If you have any technology concerns, including any laptop requests, please email the Linton Springs office staff at lseattendance@carrollk12.org placing the word TECHNOLOGY in the subject line.

Also, Please complete the PARENT INTENTION LETTER by 8/18

CCPS sent out a PARENT INTENTION LETTER this week to all families.

This letter contains 2 technology- based questions, one labeled Virtual Learning Device Accessibility and one labeled Internet Access. The purpose of these 2 questions is to identify which students need a CCPS issued laptop and/or a hot spot.

If you are in need of a device or internet access, please be sure to complete the entire Intention Letter as the results will be used to determine the technology needs of each school.

Once Linton Springs receives these results, we will develop a plan for technology (laptop) distribution.

You must complete this form by 8/18/2020.

The Home Access Center:

https://mystudent.carrollk12.org/HomeAccess

Use the Home Access Center to:

1. Find your student's teacher

2. Find your student's email address and password (will be the same from last year)

3. Access your 3rd-5th grade student's assignments and grades

IF YOU CANNOT login to the Home Access Center, please note:

The CCPS Parent/Student Portal, Home Access Center, was recently upgraded. Part of the upgrade included increased security features that will require all parents to create new accounts in Home Access Center. As a result, all parents/legal guardians in the County were sent a personalized email containing directions for setting up their new accounts. The email came from donotreply@carrollk12.org with a subject line of ‘Home Access Center - Action Required’.

If you did not receive the email please check your junk/spam folder, as well as your deleted items to make sure it didn’t end up in any of those locations. If you still cannot find it, please send an email to mystudent@carrollk12.org and ask them to re-send the Registration Email to you. Be sure to include your name and the email address the school has on file for you, along with the name of at least one of your CCPS students.

For more information about Home Access Center please refer to this User Guide & FAQ document: https://mystudent.carrollk12.org/HomeAccess/HomeAccessFAQs.pdf

Your student's email address and password are the same from last year. If you do not remember or do not know either one, they can be found in the Home Access Center under the Registration Tab.

Linton Springs Elementary Open House

We will be holding a Virtual Open House September 4th from 1:00 - 2:00 PM.

Invitations and directions will come via the classroom teachers by Wednesday, September 2nd.

We will also be holding virtual Back to School evening sessions per grade level. Details coming soon.

These sessions will be recorded and uploaded to our Website for viewing ease and reference.

Welcome to Linton Springs Elementary!

We are thrilled to have you!

Now you are a LSE Star!

We recognize that this is an especially challenging time for those brand new to our school.

Please know that we are here to assist you in any way possible. Questions can be directed to your child's classroom teacher. Additionally, the following may be helpful:

Home Access Center (teacher assignments, student email/passwords):
https://mystudent.carrollk12.org/HomeAccess

Full list of Linton Springs staff and email addresses can be found here:
Please see our full staff directory located on our site:
https://www.carrollk12.org/schools/elementary/lse/About/Pages/StaffDirectory.aspx

To reach our front office or to make any changes to your student's information (address, phone numbers, emails) email:
lseattendance@carrollk12.org

VERY IMPORTANT - IMMUNIZATIONS

ALL incoming Kindergarteners and new students MUST have a copy of their Immunization Record on file prior to the start of school.

All immunization and health records need to be sent to the school nurse at artwigg@carrollk12.org no later than August 28, 2020.

With the pandemic starting this past spring, many vaccination schedules and appointments were disrupted and many students are now out of compliance. The State of Maryland is not issuing any waivers in regard to immunizations and our students need to be in compliance as soon as possible. In an effort to address this issue, CCPS is working with the Carroll County Health Department and the Maryland Partnership for Prevention, the organizations that coordinate the flu vaccinations in the schools and that are quite experienced with mass immunization clinics, to hold county-wide vaccination clinics. An email will go out soon to the entire county with Vaccination Clinic details.

Please join us in welcoming the following new staff members:

Ms. Sheri Hudspeth - 1st Grade

Ms. Jamie Wimmer - 5th Grade

Ms. Shelby Jacobs - Vocal Music

Ms. Kristen Wilson - Media

Ms. Karen Martin - Health

Ms. Nicole Chaney - Special Education

Ms. Chelcee Loar - Student Support Assistant

Ms. Janice Metz - Permanent Substitute Teacher

Mr. Joseph Longtin - Custodian

Ms. Crystal Blackwood - Custodian

The following staff members have either changed positions or names:

Ms. Spencer - was Permanent Substitute Teacher, now 3rd grade

Mr. Litzau - was 2nd grade, now 5th grade

Ms. Raab - was 4th grade, now 5th grade

And congratulations to two staff members who changed last names due to recent weddings:

Ms. Shannon May - now Ms. Kolawolmay

Ms. Tiffany Bell - now Ms. Yi

Grade Level Teams for the 2020-2021 School year:

Pre-K: Ms. Graumann, Ms. Livesay

Kindergarten: Ms. Bowen, Ms. Bush, Ms. Malcolm, Ms. Mitchell and Ms. Pollhammer

Grade 1: Ms. Bareford, Ms. Coyne, Ms. Fiorelli, Ms. Hudspeth and Mr. Yohn

Grade 2: Ms. Diehl, Ms. Helmick, Ms. Hoey, and Ms. Yi (formerly Ms. Bell)

Grade 3: Ms. Alexander, Ms. Inge, Mr. Koontz, Ms. Spencer and Ms. Wagman

Grade 4: Ms. Romeo, Ms. Shanabarger, Ms. Showman and Ms. Southworth

Grade 5: Ms. Heser, Mr. Litzau, Ms. Raab, Ms Scheuch and Ms. Wimmer

GT Teacher: Ms. Walsh

Special Areas Teachers:

Vocal Music: Ms. McCusker and Ms. Jacobs

Art: Ms. Peck and Ms. Crum-Derr

P.E.: Ms. Zepp and Mr. Trumbo

Media: Ms. Myers and Ms. Wilson

Health: Ms. Berry and Ms. Martin

Instrumental Music: Mr. Collins

Special Education Teachers: Ms. Chaney, Ms. Gearhart, Ms. Hise, Ms. King, Ms. Kolawolmay (formerly Ms. May) and Ms.Vucich

Resource: Ms. Myers and Ms. Twery

School Counselor: Ms. Dudley

School Nurse: Ms. Twigg

Media Clerk: Ms. Gounaris

Special Education Clerk: Ms. Rolfes

Office: Ms. Goda, Ms. Spindler and Ms. Mower

Please see our full staff directory, including email addresses, on our Website:

https://www.carrollk12.org/schools/elementary/lse/About/Pages/StaffDirectory.aspx

Linton Springs Online Instructional School Hours are 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM. These hours differ slightly from our previous schedule and are applicable to the Virtual Learning model only.

Classroom teachers will communicate detailed grade-level schedules once teacher assignments have been completed. Classes will also be recorded and uploaded for those with less flexible family schedules and/or equipment restraints.

Please note: Though classes will be saved and made available at other times, students will not be shown to protect privacy. We ask that families do not record online classes.

To report a student's absence email:

lseattendance@carrollk12.org

A big change to the virtual learning that occurred in the spring is that we will track attendance. The details of exactly how this will occur will be communicated via the homeroom teacher prior to the start of the school year but this process will have some flexibility due to the challenges of online learning.

If your student needs to miss a day of online learning for any reason, for example sick or vacation, please send an email to lseattendance@carrollk12.org to have the absence excused.

Any change in Student/Guardian information please email:

lseattendance@carrollk12.org

Emergency Cards will NOT be utilized while we are in a virtual learning environment.

If your student(s) contact information changes, this includes change of address, new phone numbers, updated email address for the student or guardian, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT that you communicate that change to our front office using the following email address:

lseattendance@carrollk12.org.

CUSTODY

The school must remain neutral in situations where parents are separated, divorced or do not live in the same household. Each parent has specific legal rights in regard to school issues. A telephone call, note or letter from a parent or attorney is not sufficient to establish custody or restrict contact. An official court order is required to establish custody. A copy of the most recent custody order should be on file at the school. When changes occur, please be sure to notify the school and provide a copy of the most recent court order.

If you need to contact the Linton Springs front office or a teacher, please use email as your first approach. Staff and teacher emails are listed on our Website under staff directory:

https://www.carrollk12.org/schools/elementary/lse/About/Pages/StaffDirectory.aspx

In-person meetings and office visits will be limited, but can be arranged by appointment-only, as we work to maintain the safety protocols for everyone's benefit.

Parent Teacher Conferences and any Meetings, including 504s and IEPs, will occur virtually until schools return to a traditional model.

SOCIAL MEDIA

The staff at LSE will not respond to items posted via social media. We are eager to address any questions or concerns if brought to our attention by way of an email or phone call.

Our teachers have created School Supply Lists in hopes of preparing students for online learning and to create some back-to-school excitement.

We have highlighted items we feel will be necessary to have at home for online learning.

Please Note: Any families who may need assistance with purchasing school supplies due to financial hardship should contact Ms. Taylor Dudley, School Counselor, at tjdudle@carrollk12.org to make a request for supplies for any student before the start of the school year.

Breakfast and Lunch are available Monday, Wednesday and Friday to ALL children 18 years and younger.

This is a drive-thru service with multiple locations.

See photo for details.

The CCPS Advanced Academics (G/T) Program is designed to meet the needs of highly able learners and maximize student achievement. Advanced Academics teachers, in collaboration with classroom instructors, will continue to provide a continuum of instructional options designed to meet the needs of highly able learners and students identified as possessing gifted learning traits. This may include in-class extended instruction, pullout enrichment groups, and/or advanced resource development with classroom teachers. A Referral and Review Team, as well as collaboration with classroom teachers, will determine student eligibility for advanced instructional options. Indicators for participation include observational checklists, standardized test scores, work samples, and classroom performance. Although students are not typically, formally identified until the beginning of third grade, Advanced Academics teachers will continue to provide a range of services for grades K-5. Look for more information about the program to come home throughout the school year.

Many of our LSE students still have media books checked out from the Spring!

We are conducting a Drive-By Media Book drop-off starting now through the end of August.

From 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday - Friday (will be unavailable if raining), there will be a marked drop off container located in the front of our building.

PLEASE place any books in a bag that is clearly marked with the student(s) first and last name.

If you have any questions, please email Ms. Myers at tcmyers@carrollk12.org.

LSE Yearbooks Update:

2019/2020 Yearbooks are expected at the school in the next few weeks. Once here we will contact all who purchased with distribution details.

PTA Facebook Page

If possible, please join our Linton Springs PTA Facebook page.

The PTA still needs your help!

There are open PTA board positions including President and Secretary. Both positions are 2 year terms.

In addition, the following PTA committees are in NEED of a chairperson for 2020-21 school year. If the positions are not filled, the following programs will be canceled:

*Spirit Committee
*Hospitality Committee
*Birthday Books

USE OF STUDENT WORK ON WEBSITES OR IN PUBLICATIONS

There may be times throughout the year when the Carroll County Public School System wishes to display student work on school websites, social media, or in publications. If you do not wish to have your child’s art, poetry, writing, etc. appear on school websites, social media, or in publications, please notify the school principal in writing. It is assumed that parents and guardians consent to their child’s work being displayed on school websites, social media, or in publications unless such notification is received.

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

The Board of Education of Carroll County does not engage in discrimination that is unlawful or contrary to Maryland State Department of Education guidance on the basis of age, color, genetic information, marital status, mental or physical disability, ancestry or national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

The Board of Education of Carroll County is firmly committed to creating equal employment and educational opportunities for all persons by providing an environment that supports optimal academic achievement and productive work and is free from any form of unlawful discrimination, including access to school facilities, educational programs, and extracurricular activities.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of Human Resources, 125 North Court Street, Westminster, Maryland 21157, (410) 751-3070.

NOTICE OF ASBESTOS

The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) management plans for all buildings owned or leased by the Board of Education of Carroll County are available for review at the individual Carroll County school locations and at Office of Plant Operations, located at 191 Schaeffer Avenue, Westminster, Maryland 21157. Management plans are required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and depict the location, amount, condition, and response action projected for any asbestos-containing materials, if any are located in the school building.