Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments

Edward Cosentino, Principal

Jaime Gittleson, Assistant Principal

Website: cces.hcpss.org
Location: 10320 Quarterstaff Road, Columbia, MD, United States
Phone: 410-313-6866
Facebook: facebook.com/ClemensCrossingElementary
Twitter: @hcpss_cces

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Spanish

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May

• 1 - Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
• 3 - PTA Restaurant - Chipotle (Dobbin) - CANCELLED
• 3 - Science Fair
• 5 - School Spirit Day - Wacky Sock & Hair Day
• 10 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
• 12 - PTA Spring Carnival, 5:00 p.m.
• 19 - Schools closed for students - Professional Learning Day
• 23 - 5th Grade's Simulated Congressional Hearing
• 24 - Wilde Lake HS graduation, 3:00 p.m.
• 26 - Field Day
• 29 - Schools and offices closed for Memorial Day
• 30 - Rain Date for Field Day

June

• 1 - LGBTQ+ Pride Month
• 1 - Atholton HS graduation, 11:00 a.m.
• 2 - School Spirit Day - Summer Sports Day
• 3 - 3rd grade picnic, 12:30 p.m.
• 7 - Kindergarten picnic, 10:00 a.m.
• 7 - Schools close 3 hours early
• 8 - 2nd grade picnic, 11:05 a.m.
• 9 - Full day of school
• 9 - 1st grade picnic, 12:05 a.m.
• 12 - 4th grade picnic, 11:00 a.m.
• 12 - Schools close 3 hours early
• 12 - 5th-grade promotion ceremony at Atholton HS, 2:00 p.m.
• 13 - Schools close 3 hours early
• 14 - Last Day of School - Schools close 3 hours early
• 16 - Final report cards will be mailed

To subscribe to the CCES calendar on your smartphone, electronic device, or email system use the calendar ID sqspkjkbr6v6arss44js3n21eg@group.calendar.google.com.

End Strong

Think about that football player who fumbles the ball on the one-yard line with no defenders around. Think about the overconfident base runner who doesn't tag home plate and gets tagged out. Those are examples of people not finishing or ending strong.

With spring in full swing, many students and families begin thinking about the school year's end. High school seniors aren't the only ones who experience "senioritis" or the "end-of-the-school-year-blues." Elementary school students can begin to shut down and dial back their efforts toward the end of the school year.

It's important to help our children finish the school year strong! We want to make the most of the final six and a half weeks of school and encourage our students to be responsible learners who don't quit. Here are some tips to help students continue to put forth their best effort until that last school bell rings on June 14.

Gear Check
After months of hard work and lots of time spent in the classroom, many students are left with less-than-ideal supplies. Pencils no longer have erasers, and crayons have been worn down to nubs. It's hard to do your best work when you don't have the right tools.

Help your children put forth their best effort through the last day by taking stock of their school supplies. A freshly sharpened pencil, a glue stick or two, and a new box of crayons can make a world of difference.

Lead by Example
Don't count the days; make the days count! Kids learn by example and are quick to adopt our attitude. If your child hears you talking about how you wish it was summer, or how you can't wait for school to be over, they are likely to adopt that mindset. Avoid speaking negatively about school, homework, etc. in front of your child. It will be harder for your child to put forth his best effort if he thinks you don't care, don't like school, etc.

We tell our students that every assignment is an opportunity to do their best. So, encourage your kids to try their best, continue to set aside time to complete homework, and prioritize school attendance. Your positive attitude about school (even when it's sunny and almost time for vacation!) can help your children finish strong.

Stick to the Routine
When it's warm and light outside, it can be more challenging to enforce bedtime, but it's super important to help your child continue to get a good night's rest through the end of the school year. Stick to your child's regular bedtime and continue to make time for homework and at-home reading.

Help your child develop responsibility and perseverance by reminding them that good learners do what they must do until the job is done. Sunny days and a looming summer vacation can't stop motivated and eager learners! Maintaining your school-year schedule will help reinforce these beliefs.

1-2 Reasonable and Reachable Goals
Goals are a great way to keep students motivated and on-task toward the end of a school year. Help your children select one or two small goals to accomplish before the end of the school year. The goals should be challenging but reachable. Some ideas include things like moving up a level in reading, memorizing their multiplication facts, having a certain number of positive behavior days, etc. Work with your kids to determine steps to take to work towards their goals and encourage practice at home.

Let's commit to making the most of the fourth quarter so everyone can have a strong final six weeks of school!

We have 3 PTA events in May that need LOTS of parent volunteers to make them run smoothly - please sign up and lend a hand!

Spring Carnival (May 12)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0f44aea92ea6fe3-parent#/

Science Fair (May 3)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b4fadae23a4fc1-cces#/

Staff Appreciation Week (May 8-12)

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e49aeae2da5f8c07-cces2#/

The following 5th Grade Teams will compete in the Battle of the Books on Friday, April 28. - The Fiery Penguins, Book Ninjas, Midnight Mobs, We the Dragon Society, and The Astreadnauts. Please wish them well as they represent Clemens Crossing during this amazing night of celebrating reading! Way to READ!

• The Fiery Penguins Team - Daniel G., Clara D., Ben B.
• Book Ninjas Team - Katherine R., Lincoln S., Ethan B., Peyton-Ryn M., Davida A.
• Midnight Mobs Team - Shrithan D., Gabriel V., Matthew T., Myles G., Malcolm B-L.
• We the Dragon Society Team - Sam Mc., Celia P., Miranda T., Sophia H., Ryan L.
• The Astreadnauts Team - Cole L., Henry B., Jake L., Yousuf H, Ethan V.

We love our teachers and all of our amazing staff team here at Clemens Crossing! Staff Appreciation Week is a special week to highlight and celebrate the huge amount of hard work, enthusiasm, time, energy and dedication that the staff at Clemens invest in our kids.

You may choose to send a gift and/or card directly to your child's teacher that week, and please consider other ways you can be involved. You can give $$ towards our various events, treats and gifts for teachers that week, or donate item/s for a staff breakfast (5/8) or staff lunch (5/9). See all the details here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e49aeae2da5f8c07-cces2#/

Are you interested in stepping up and getting more involved in PTA next year? Nominations are now open for Executive Board positions for the 2023-2024 school year. We warmly welcome all who may be interested -- it can be lots of fun to be more involved! Currently, the PTA is looking for volunteers for the following positions: 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Recording Secretary, and Corresponding Secretary. These positions will be voted on at our meeting on the evening of May 10. Contact Jen Nwosu for more details president@clemenscrossingpta.org

Science Fair

We have a record number of participants in this year's Science Fair! Come and check out all the amazing projects our students have been working on. There will be a raffle and a bake sale too!

Wednesday, May 3rd, in the cafeteria & gym

6 pm Participant check in and set up

6:30 pm Doors open for everyone to come and see!

Parent volunteers needed! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0b4fadae23a4fc1-cces#/

Planning for the 2023-24 School Year

The Clemens Crossing staff is looking ahead to the 2023-24 school year. As part of this process, we would like to give you the opportunity to share some information that you would like for us to consider as we begin to make class groupings for the next school year. This consideration form is for you, as parents, to relate specific information about your child that you feel would be beneficial as our teachers meet to determine next year's placement.

When placing students, the staff, and administration utilize a wide range of criteria that support the Howard County philosophy of heterogeneous grouping. Some of these criteria include, but are not limited to:
- the personality of the child
- the gender balance in each classroom
- math strengths and needs
- written output
- test results
- reading strengths and needs
- special education requirements; IEP goals
- structured versus non-structured needs
- information from previous teachers and school counselor.

There are certain concerns that we cannot consider as part of this Consideration Form. Therefore, we ask that you not use this form to propose the following:
- specific teacher requests
- grouping based on siblings’ experience
- grouping based on friends
- grouping based on hearsay.

Your input on this form will be used in our planning for your child rather than a letter requesting a specific teacher. Your response is OPTIONAL but is a very valuable source of information to the school staff and to the next teacher.

The form is embedded in this newsletter program below. If you cannot see the form below, you may need to use a computer.

The form closes on May 12. Thank you for your help.

According to HCPSS Policy 9000 - Student Residency, Eligibility, Enrollment, and Assignment, "A student attending a public school in Howard County will attend the designated school serving the school attendance area in which the parents have bona fide residence."

If you have moved or are moving soon, please notify us immediately. Please do not wait for us to find out through other means. We can assist you with transitioning to your child's new school. Whether it be another HCPSS school, a private school, or a school out of the HCPSS district, we are here to help. If you are transferring to another HCPSS school, our registrars will partner to make the transition as smooth as possible.

If you have an address change, please fill out the attached fillable Address Change Form below and email it back to us with your new deed or lease. This way, we can electronically verify your school district and update your new address on file. If you have any questions, contact our registrar, Mrs. Dulce Boyer at Dulce_Boyer@hcpss.org

It is very important for us to have the most accurate information about your residency

Spring Carnival

The Spring Carnival is only two weeks away, Friday, May 12th from 5:00-8:00 pm on the CCES blacktop.

This year’s theme is Pirates and Mermaids! There will be mermaid highlights, an animal encounter, balloon art, inflatables, a dunk tank, cotton candy and popcorn, plus so much more!

Keep your eyes peeled, rumor has it that a mermaid might be in attendance!!!

We are still in need of volunteers, so please sign up. Register here to volunteer.