Greetings EES Families,

We have a lot going on in the next few weeks, so please read the updates carefully.

CogAT Testing for 3rd Grade:

Attention 3rd Grade families! This year, the Howard County Public School System will be administering the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to all students in grades 3. The CogAT is a group-administered abilities test that measures students’ reasoning abilities, which they develop through in-school and out-of- school experiences. It is not designed to test a student’s academic achievement, but their potential. CogAT testing will take place Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week.

The Gifted and Talented Education Program will use the data from the CogAT as one criterion

for placement into fourth grade Gifted/Talented mathematics classes and middle school

Gifted/Talented content classes. Students’ individual scores will be reported to parents in late February/early March.

Winter Spirit Week:

The 5th Grade Student Advisory Committee has created a Winter Spirit Week for next week, December 16 - December 20! Each day is a different theme for students to optionally participate. Please see below for additional information.

Recess Reminders:

As we move into the colder months of school, we would like to send a few reminders about students and recess. Per HCPSS policy, students will be outside for recess when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature combined with the wind chill is below 20 degrees, students will have indoor recess. Please send your children prepared for outdoor recess.

Did you know?:

Attendance fact: Arriving late or leaving early during the school day can still impact learning. If a student misses 10 minutes per day, that equals 50 minutes per week, adding up to a week and a half of missed class every year.

Card-A-Palooza:

This year we will be having a "Card-a-Palooza"! Instead of purchasing gifts and wrapping them, we will be accepting AMAZON Gift Cards to support our families.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Kelley Powell, Principal

LaShonne Wright, Assistant Principal

Jonathan Swann, Assistant Principal

Classroom Spelling Bee:

On Wednesday, December 18th, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Elkridge Elementary School students will take part in Scripps classroom spelling bees. The first and second place students in each 4th and 5th grade ELA class will take part in our school-wide spelling bee on Friday, January 24th. (More information to come) Good luck to all of our spelling scholars!

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!

📚 Book Donations Needed for Literacy Events!📚

We're collecting new or gently used books to support our upcoming literacy events, including our exciting Reading Night in April! If you have books to donate, please drop them off at school in bags or boxes labeled with either Mrs. Cooke or Mrs. Barr's name. Your generous contributions will help foster a love for reading in our community. Thank you for your support! 📖✨

Talk and Think About Math with Your Kiddos:
This month, try to incorporate talking about math each day with your children. This can be done in many ways and the math should be done in their heads!

• Car rides:

• look at the numbers on the speed limit signs or exit numbers on the roads. See if your kiddo can come up with ways to make that number.

• talk about speed or distance

• counting vehicles of a specific color

• ratios of cars to trucks or ratios comparing colors of cars

• how much will it cost to fill up your gas tank?

• Cooking:

• following recipes (fractions, measurement, time)

• Shopping:

• prices/deals

• coupons/discounts

• tax

• unit rate (6 bananas for $1.00, how much is 1 banana?)

• Out to eat?

• cost of food

• tax

• tip

All students in Grades 3 & 4 are preparing to learn to play soprano recorders in music class! All students must have a recorder to play. Recorders can be sent from home, borrowed from school, or purchased from school at this link: https://osp.osmsinc.com/p/DA053-300 or by sending in a check or cash for $4.50 to the attention of Ms. Loughry.

4th grade students also need to bring in a pocket folder to use for music class.

Please read this INFORMATION LETTER for full details and purchase information.

The due date for purchases and to send in a recorder from home is Friday, December 13.

If you have any questions, please email Ms. Loughry at: carrie_loughry@hcpss.org

The Howard County Public School System welcomes visitors to our schools. To limit interruptions and distractions to teaching and learning, and to maximize safety for all:

• Anyone wishing to visit a school is asked to contact school administration or the appropriate staff member to establish a convenient time for both the visitor and the school.
• The school will arrange for an escort for the visitor.
• To avoid interrupting instruction, no students are allowed to shadow HCPSS students.
• Understandably, interactions between visitors and school staff and students will be limited.
• If a follow-up meeting with school staff is desired, the visitor will schedule it for a mutually convenient time.
  
  

Safety Protocols for Visitors

Please be aware of the following procedures for any visitor to a school/office:

• The front door is the only entrance point for all visitors.
• Please ring the bell and look into the camera.
• Be prepared to state your name and purpose for visiting.
• All visitors must walk directly into the front office with a valid photo I.D. and sign in using our LobbyGuard system.
• A visitor’s sticker will be given to visitors following the above procedures and must be worn and prominently visible.
• Any visitor in the school without a visitor sticker will be escorted directly to the front office by a staff member.
  
  

In some cases, it may be more convenient for a prospective visitor to acquire information in other ways. The following may be helpful:

• Information about the Howard County Public School System is available on the HCPSS website and the HCPSS News site.
• Visit our Schools page to find school locators (attendance areas), school profiles, bus stops and much more.

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.
   
   
4. When having lunch with your child, please refrain from interacting with any other children. If you need assistance, please request to speak with an administrator before you attend lunch.
   
   
5. If you choose to eat a school lunch with your child, you may not use your child's account to purchase a lunch for yourself. Adult lunches are $4.50, payable in cash (preferably exact change) at the time of purchase.

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.

If you have concerns about your child's development - whether it's their speech, motor skills, social skills or learning - it's important to act now. Waiting until the summer for a referral can delay crucial support that your child may need before starting kindergarten.

Contact us today to schedule a screening. Let's work together to ensure your child has the best possible start in kindergarten!

Call 410-313-7046 or email ChildFind@hcpss.org

The After School Belonging Group will be meeting on the following days after school. Please reach out to Ms. Harmon for additional details.

December 17, 2024

January 21, 2025

February 18, 2025

March 18, 2025

April 22, 2025

May 20, 2025