IMPORTANT DATES
| February 5 | 4pm - Report Cards Available in Synergy |
| February 8 | 7pm - PTA Meeting |
| February 8 | 9-11:30 am - K-5 Materials Pick Up |
| February 9 | 11am - 2:30 pm - K-5 Materials Pick Up |
| February 10 | 12:30 - 3 pm - K-5 Materials Pick Up |
| February 10 & 11 | Early Dismissal - Parent/Teacher Conferences |
| February 10 | 9am - MAP Testing |
| February 12 | Schools Closed for Students - Professional Work Day |
| February 15 | Schools & Offices Closed - President's Day |
NEWS & EVENTS
Quarter 2 Report Cards Available February 5
Your child's Quarter 2 Report Card will be accessible via HCPSS Connect Friday, February 5 after 4:00 pm.
Parents/guardians may view/download report cards by taking the following steps:
Parent Instructional Preference Commitment Deadline Extended to February 10
HCPSS has extended the deadline for parents/guardians to make the commitment regarding sending their child to school for all or part of the week (depending on program availability) and receive virtual instruction the remainder of the week, or to have their child remain fully virtual for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.
This extended deadline gives families additional time to review the answers to hundreds of frequently asked questions about student in-person return and other student-related issues, as well as a comprehensive new Hybrid Learning document that will be shared with staff, students and families on February 5.
If you have not already done so, please complete the two-question commitment form in HCPSS Connect by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10.
If a parent/guardian does not complete the commitment form by the extended February 10 deadline, the system will default to select that the student will remain virtual for the remainder of the year.
Please contact the front office at 410-313-6893 or email Mr. Esposito or Mrs. Spivey if you have any questions or need assistance in completing the survey.
To complete the form:
MAP Assessment Information
On Wednesday, February 10th, students in grades 1-5 will take the Measured Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. The data from the MAP assessment will help schools and teachers measure where your child is starting the year academically. HCPSS intends to also give the assessment in the spring to measure how your child’s learning is progressing throughout the year. The MAP test does not affect grades and the difficulty adjusts depending on how your child responds. It is normal for students to only answer about half of the questions correctly. To learn more about the MAP assessment, please visit: https://www.nwea.org/the-map-suite/common-questions-families/
The reading test will be offered on February 10th from 9 am-11 am. Homeroom teachers will send a reminder through Canvas Announcement, including the Google Meet code, which will be the normal code students use to sign into their homeroom class each day unless they are in a small group. If your child is unable to attend, makeup testing will be offered during asynchronous learning times. More information about make up testing will be sent out towards the close of the testing window.
Families who do not wish for their child to test should let their teacher know and would not attend either session or the make up testing session.
Teachers may assign asynchronous assignments on the February 3rd MAP administration day. February 10th is a half day for students and MAP administration.
Teachers will not assign asynchronous work on February 10.
Please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Spivey, School Testing Coordinator, with any questions.
Message from the Health Room
The Howard County Health department is holding vaccine clinics on Wednesdays and Thursdays and there is currently no wait time to get in!! If your child needs a vaccine (or two), please consider calling the Immunization Clinic at 410-313-7500. Spanish speaking staff are available. Everyone is eligible to receive vaccines; this includes those with or without insurance. You can contact your school nurse Ms. Humeston at Pamela_Humeston@hcpss.org if you have questions or need information about your child’s immunization status. NOTE: This is for routine well child vaccines required for school and does not include the COVID vaccine.
Parent to Staff Panther Praise
Ms. Lloyde – 5th Grade Teacher
"Ms. Lloyde is very energetic and engaging with the children. She makes the lessons fun and always makes it a point to let them know how special they are to her. She has called me on several occasions after hours to answer questions and to just check in to make sure we were doing ok. She has the sweetest personality, and she deserves any and all accolades she can get." – The Johnson Family
Ms. Barbour, Ms. Correa and Ms. Schafer – Food Services Team
"We can’t thank Ms. Nancy and her team enough for all they have done to support our family and provide safe food for our daughter. Their concern for our daughter with food restrictions is reflected in their caution and diligence with finding and preparing our meals. We are so grateful for them this year!" – The Kulansky Family
Mrs. Nilles – Kindergarten Teacher
"Mrs. Nilles is such a supportive teacher. She’s always willing and available to answer any questions or concerns." – The Goodman Family
Mrs. Jenkins – 4th Grade Teacher
"I am so thankful that Mrs. Jenkins is my teacher. She helps me solve my problems!" – Kaya E.
Mrs. Caffey, 1st Grade Teacher
"You are a great teacher. You are very knowledgeable and supportive with online learning!" – Forrest
Mrs. Scible, 2nd Grade Teacher
"She does an awesome job with the kids!"– The Christian Family
Mrs. Lerner, Gifted and Talented Teacher
"Thank you for helping Jackson with is math! You make it fun for him!" – The Cromartie Family
Mrs. Frank, BSAP Liaison
"I would like to thank Mrs. Andrea Frank for her support. Mrs. Frank sends our emails that are very informative. If I have a question about anything, she is a person I feel comfortable reacing out to. Mrs. Frank has gone above and beyond to make sure parents are up to date with what is going on at the school. I really appreciate her." – Ms. Ashimi
Mrs. Baily, 2nd Grade Teacher
"I feel like my teacher is doing amazing with online schooling! Even though it is hard and there’s new technology she is doing great. I just enjoy being in her class every day! You are doing a great job Mrs. Baily! Love Adrina" – Adrina B.
Mrs. Pincheria, Art Teacher
"My kids love art class! Her class is a bright spot in online learning. – The White Family
Student Preferred Name Settings
Preferred names are nicknames or names that students prefer to be called. Preferred names are now live in Canvas and Google. Parents/guardians who would like their child’s preferred name to be changed should contact Mrs. Ott at Lakesha_Ott@hcpss.org.
Movie Night at WLHS
Dear students and families,
A group of Wilde Lake High School students has organized a virtual movie night for elementary-aged students and families for the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action. Black Lives Matter at School is a national group organizing for racial justice in education. The movie night will take place on Friday, February 5th at 5:00 pm and will end at 6:30 pm.
First, the students will watch a movie short called The Snowy Day, rated for all. The Snowy Day features Peter, an African American boy, who explores his neighborhood after the season’s first snowfall. After the movie short is over, we will watch the movie Our Friend, Martin, rated TV-G. It is a one-hour movie that “offers highlights and lowlights of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and work through the eyes of a group of middle-school classmates.”
After the movie, students will have the opportunity to participate in some discussion about the movie and will receive action steps they can take to be an ally to the Black community. You can join the event using the Google Meet code wlhs-justice. We hope that you can make it to the BLM Week of Action movie night.
Thank you,
Marcy Leonard, Principal, Wilde Lake High School
On behalf of the Wilde Lake Students for Social Justice
Blessings in a Backpack
Did you know we have a Blessings in a Backpack Program at RBES? Blessings in a Backpack sends additional food resources home to students on the weekend. During a traditional school year, bags are discretely put in a student's backpack on Friday afternoons. Running Brook staff delivered to 125 students over the spring/summer!
Our Blessings in a Backpack Program is entirely funded by individual and community-based donations. This is not funded by HCPSS.
If you are interested in receiving Blessings you must click the registration link below.
Register For 2020-2021 Virtual Learning Blessing in a Backpack
School Wide Title I Program
Did you know that Running Brook has a school-wide Title I program? Title I is a federally funded program designed to ensure that all children have an opportunity to access a high quality education. The goal of this federal program is to close the achievement gap for all students.
Also, during virtual learning, we were able to use Title I funds to purchase materials to support your child’s at home learning. We hope you were able to pick up the first set of learning materials. If not, please let us know so we can help you make arrangements. There will be opportunities to pick up more Title I learning materials later in the year.
Please view our school parent compact using this link:
English: RBES Title I School-Family Compact/Calendar
Spanish: RBES School-Family Compact/Calendar (Spanish)
We welcome any feedback or questions related to our Title I schoolwide programming, at anytime throughout the school year. Please email Jodi Aikens at Jodi_Aikens@hcpss.org, Kim Filler at Kimberly_Filler@hcpss.org, or our Family Involvement Coordinator, Jane Hartlove at Jane_Hartlove@hcpss.org.
COMMUNITY NEWS
RBES is Hiring
We have an opportunity that might be perfect for you or someone you know.
APPLY NOW: https://forms.gle/cLkTBW6wmNSR5LV76
Fully Paid Scholarships Available for HCC Kids on Campus Classes! (ages 8-17)
Fully paid scholarships are available for families who qualify financially (i.e., income of $50,000 or below for family of four). Upcoming available courses, with start times ranging from late-Jan to early-April, can be found here. Classes include art, cooking, virtual reality, language, ROBLOX and more! Families who believe they may be eligible for financial aid, should complete this application and submit it via email to NoncreditFinAid@howardcc.edu.
Howard County Conservancy Schools Out Program
Students ages 6-10 can attend the Howard County Conservancy’s in-person School’s Out Program for free during the month of February. This is a full-day program held every Wednesday at both locations. There are 80 grant-funded spots that are available on a first come, first serve basis.
Families can register their student on the HC Conservancy Website and indicate “pay by check.” They then just need to contact Kylie Watson to provide the student’s name and the fee will be waived. Kylie can be contacted by phone 410-465-8877 or email Kylie.Watson@howardnature.org. Please contact Kate Cramer with any questions.
The deadline to register is February 12, 2021
MSU Coding Camp
MSU Coding Camp aims to introduce young girls to the tech field and establish an interest in programming through a wide range of creative activities and lesson plans. Our activities and offerings are fun, challenging, and accepting of everyone’s individual abilities. Above all, we are committed to ensuring that our students complete our camps equipped with the skills necessary to secure one of the 1.4 million computing jobs expected to be available in the US by 2030.
The program is available for girls in grades 5-12. The deadline to register is Friday February 12th.