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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Reflecting on Our Progress and Celebrating Success

As we continue through the second quarter, it is important to reflect on our first quarter and the progress we are making as a school. Our team has been reviewing our School Improvement Plan and assessing our progress toward the goals we set for this year. We’re pleased to share our quarterly snapshot, Measures That Matter (see section below), which highlights key data points from our School Improvement Plan. It provides a picture of how our school is performing as we proceed through the school year.

The Maryland State Department of Education also recently released last year’s school report cards (see section below). We are proud to share that Ilchester Elementary has once again earned a four-star rating! This achievement reflects the dedication and skill of our exceptional staff and the strong partnership we share with our families.

While we have maintained a strong four-star rating and a consistent percentile ranking over the past several years, we also recognize that maintaining our success is not the same as making progress. We have an opportunity to build on our strengths, identify areas for improvement, and take the next steps toward becoming a five-star school. Our goal is not simply to maintain where we are, but to continue moving forward and ensure that every student is learning, growing, and achieving at high levels.

As we review our data, there is much to celebrate. We are especially proud to report an outstanding attendance rate of 97.2% for the first quarter. Learning starts with being present, and this achievement reflects the shared commitment of our students, families, and staff.

Looking ahead, our upcoming parent-teacher conferences will provide a valuable opportunity to connect the schoolwide trends shared in Measures That Matter with your child’s individual progress, strengths, and areas for growth. These conversations are an important part of our partnership in supporting student success.

We have much to be proud of at Ilchester, but we also know there is more work to do. Our commitment is to keep learning, growing, and improving as a school, just as we expect our students to do each day. Together, we can build on our successes and make an already great school even better!

Mr. Cosentino, Principal

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

November

• 16 - American Education Week
• 16 - Spirit Week starts!
• 16 - Spirit Day #1 - Wear IES Gear or Cheetah Print
• 17 - Spirit Day #2 - Sport Day - Wear favorite sport team
• 18 - Spirit Day #3 - All One Color Day
• 19 - Spirit Day #4 - Farm Day
• 19 - Parent Teacher Conference Scheduling Closes
• 20 - Spirit Day #5 - Pajama Day
• 20 - Picture retakes
• 23 - School close 3 hours early - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 12:55 p.m.
• 24 - School close 3 hours early - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 12:55 p.m.
• 25 - Schools closed for students - Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 26 - Schools and offices closed - Thanksgiving Holiday
• 27 - Schools and offices closed - Thanksgiving Holiday

December

• 9 - School close 3 hours early - Professional Learning for staff, 12:55 p.m.
• 23 -31 - Schools and offices closed for WInter Break

January

• 1 - Schools and offices closed - New Years Day
• 4 - School Reopens

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

A Quarterly Snapshot of Attendance data, Performance data, and Behavior data.

The Maryland State Department of Education Report Card.

Penguin Patch Holiday Shop is Coming on Friday, December 4! Your child will love shopping for family & friends for holiday gifts while enjoying a nice cup of cocoa and some holiday crafts. While your child is having fun shopping, you are also helping raise money for your school. A portion of the proceeds will go right back to your PTA!

Hi Ilchester Families!

This year, our students are participating in an exciting program called “Our One World!”

Every morning, during announcements, students read a short fact about an important person or event from history. We have learned about events and people of color, people who are physically and intellectually differently abled, people of different faiths, women, people from different cultures, and LGBTQIA+ people who have made a difference in our one world through their ideas, courage, creativity, leadership, discoveries, and everyday actions.

At the end of each quarter, we will have a culminating activity for the different people and events we have learned about. At the end of first quarter, we had an “Our One World Scavenger Hunt” around our school. Clues and information were displayed throughout the building, and the answers came from information the students heard during our morning announcements. Ask your child if they remember anyone or anything about “Our One World” scavenger hunt.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns: laura_baker@hcpss.org

Parent-Teacher Conference time is quickly approaching. Conferences with Homeroom/Language Arts teachers will take place on November 23-November 25. For your planning purposes, please note the schedule below:

• In- person conferences will be held on Monday, November 23rd only.
• Virtual conferences will be held on Tuesday, November 24th or Wednesday, November 25th only.

Families will sign up for conferences using Synergy beginning November 6th. The sign up window will close on November 19th. After November 19th, families must call the front office secretaries directly to schedule a conference. More information will be shared in a separate email as the date approaches. We look forward to seeing you.

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.