Note from Principal 
Good Afternoon Running Brook Families,

Mrs. Spivey and I enjoyed meeting with families of our primary students this week to discuss the reopening of schools. Next week we will meet with 3rd & 4th grade families on Monday night and 5th grade families on Tuesday night. Please remember that next Thursday and Friday will be half-days for students. Your child's teacher will post his or her grade level schedule for these half days. As we move closer to the reopening of schools, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Spivey or I if you have any questions. 

Have a wonderful weekend! ~ Mr. Esposito 

IMPORTANT DATES

February 25	Early Dismissal – School Closes 3 hours early for students
February 26	Early Dismissal – School Closes 3 hours early for students
March 1	PHASE 1: In-Person Hybrid Model Begins for Identified Students in Group E
March 8	7pm - PTA Meeting
March 8	Kindergarten Registration for 2021-2022 school year
March 15	PHASE 2: In-Person Hybrid Model Begins for Identified A-Day Students in Grades PK-2
March 18	PHASE 2: In-Person Hybrid Model Begins for Identified B-Day Students in Grades PK-2
March 29	PHASE 3: In-Person Hybrid Model Begins for Identified A-Day Students in Grades 3-5
April 1	PHASE 3: In-Person Hybrid Model Begins for Identified B-Day Students in Grades 3-5
April 2 & April 5	Spring Break – Schools and Offices Closed
April 6	Schools Closed for Students
April 14	Early Dismissal - End of 3rd Marking Period

 

NEWS & EVENTS

CultureNet Virtual Assembly:
Save the date this Wednesday, February 24th at 10:00 am to attend the CultureNet Virtual Assembly: Breaking Stereotypes with Michelle Cann. 

Michelle began playing the piano at age 7 and has won top prize at national and international piano competitions. She has performed with various orchestras including the Florida Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Institute of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Pennsylvania Philharmonic.
In addition to her performing career, Michelle is also a music educator. Michelle received her Bachelor and Master degrees in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and received an Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Currently, Michelle holds the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff Chair in piano studies at Curtis becoming only the 2nd woman and the first African-American to teach in the Curtis Institute's prestigious piano department.  Watch the video below to see her perform and join her live on Wednesday!   

VIdeo Link: https://vimeo.com/509469270/ad3905ec4a

We will send out the Zoom link next week.

Learning Together Program – Prekindergarten 
The Regional Early Childhood Center (RECC) prekindergarten programs are making preparations for classes for the 2021-22 school year.  These classes include children with and without disabilities.  The program’s focus is helping all children develop communication, literacy, math, problem solving, motor, and social skills.   Parents of children who will be 3 by September 1st or are already 4 may learn more about the program by reviewing the Learning Together Program (LTP) Flier .  Applications will be accepted starting February 11, 2021 and priority will be given to applications received by April 1st.  

• Learning Together Program (LTP) Flier (Spanish )
• Learning Together Program (LTP) Flier (Chinese )
• Learning Together Program (LTP) Flier (Korean )

HCPSS is committed to providing instruction based on the statewide Early Learning Standards which are in alignment with Kindergarten Readiness. The fees listed in the application will be collected monthly regardless of the learning model determined by HCPSS throughout the upcoming school year (virtual, hybrid, or in person).  If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Kwon at (410) 313-6893. 

February 25 & 26 are Now Early Dismissal Days
With the March 1st transition to a hybrid instructional model, the Board of Education has approved changing Thursday, February 25 and Friday, February 26, to early dismissal days for students to allow staff returning to school buildings time to prepare. Students will follow THIS SCHEDULE

Hybrid Model Begins March 1st

• Hybrid Model
  • The new hybrid model will start on Monday, March 1st with Group E students starting in-person instruction at school.
    • Students in Group E are students who have individualized learning plans and/or other needs identified by our student support team.
• New School Hours – Starting March 1
  • RBES will have new school hours for all students both in-person and at home in the virtual setting. Our new hours will be 9:45 am - 4:15 p
• Extended and Updated Schedule
  • Starting March 1, we will operate using a schedule that looks very similar to pre-COVID school schedule. The new school schedule will be for both in-person and virtual students.
    • Classes will take place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for all students.
    • Group E students will have in-person instruction on Wednesday mornings.
    • Class schedules will be shared with families very soon
• Groups A, B and V
  • Phase 1 – Group E starts in-person March 1
  • Phase 2 – Group A/B in PreK, Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade start March 15
  • Phase 3 – Group A/B in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades start March 29
  • Students who are not opting to come into the school are called Group V (virtual). Group V will start following the new schedule on March 1 just like Group A, B and E.

Prior to the start of each phase, we will provide detailed information for all students and their families.

Is Your Family File Up to Date?
In preparation for the return of students on March 1, please make sure your emergency information is up to date in the Family File. Follow these instructions:

1. Visit www.hcpss.org/connect
2. Log in to your account (Username = your email address)
3. You will see a list of options on the left side of the screen. At the bottom of the list, choose “More Options” and then “Family File.”
4. Follow the prompts to update the information.
5. You will receive a confirmation upon successful completion of the Family File

Notes: 

• If it is not allowing you to click “NEXT” on a particular page, there is information missing.
• If you have more than one child at RBES, please be sure to update information for all of your children.
• Please contact Mrs. Kwon (Helen_Kwon@hcpss.org) or Mrs. Ott (Lakesha_Ott@hcpss.org) if you need assistance completing your Family File

Girls on the Run Registration Opens 2/21
Girls on the Run will be back this Spring for girls in grades 3-5!  Registration opens on February 21 at noon for the 8-week session, which will begin the week of March 21. The-end-of-season weekend is scheduled for May 22-23, 2021.  Running Brook will be offering an in person team which will meet on Monday’s and Wednesday’s from 4:15-5:15 pm at Running Brook.  In-person teams will adhere to enhanced health and safety policies and will meet outdoors with the ability to transition to virtual meetings (Google Meet) in the event of bad weather or COVID-related meeting restrictions. 
Registration is $150 and includes a program shirt, water bottle, 5K registration and finisher’s medal, as a well as a cinch sack with all necessary program materials. Financial assistance is available - for more information contact Susan Michel at 443-864-8593 or susan.michel@girlsontherun.org. For more details and to register, visit gotrcentralmd.org. Teams are limited to 15 girls and registration is first-come, first-served.

Parent to Staff Panther Praise
Ms. Aden and Mrs. Van Osdel– 5th Grade Teachers
"Ms. Aden is very kind and I am happy to be in her class. Mrs. V is very good at teaching math I am happy to be in her math class." – Leah

Mrs. Caffey – 1st Grade Teacher
"Mrs. Caffey has gone above and beyond to help Connor and our family adjust to the virtual learning schedules and emails. For example, she created a consolidated, custom schedule for all of C’s classes, small breakout groups and special education services that was instrumental in our virtual learning success." – The Ferrell Family

Mrs. Hill – Special Education Teacher
"Mrs. Hill is funny, kind and sweet, I really like her and she always sticks around (unless she has a group of course) and she is super – in fact she’s PAWESOME! That’s the end!" – Alyssa Parris

Mrs. Lerner – Gifted and Talented Teacher
"Thank you Mrs. Lerner for being so cheerful! You smile a lot and teach me all about Earth!” – Alena Trent

Mrs. James, Reading Specialist
"Mrs. James, I love coming to group with you and I love coming to group no matter what. Everything that you do makes me smile and laugh inside. Please keep making my heart smile." – Kaya English

RBES is Hiring
We have an opportunity that might be perfect for you or someone you know.

• Lunch/Recess Monitor
  • These individuals supervise students at lunch and/or recess, under the supervision of Running Brook staff.  $14.25 per hour
• Classroom Monitor
  • If a teacher is unable to return to teaching in person due to health issues, a monitor would be hired to supervise the classroom of about 10 students while the teacher continues teaching virtually. $14.25 per hour
• Substitute Teacher
  • These individuals instruct students during the absence of a regular teacher. $85.00+ per day

 APPLY NOW:  https://forms.gle/cLkTBW6wmNSR5LV76

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

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.