Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments

Jaime Gittleson - Assistant Principal

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

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Dear Families,

At CCES, we have an Attendance Team that reviews student attendance on a consistent basis. We are noticing that when students are absent for illnesses, there may not be a note or email sent regarding the absence. Please be sure to send in a note or email CCESAbsence@hcpss.org each time your child needs to be absent. This allows us to mark the absence as excused. All students should come to school unless they are sick. We appreciate your support! Our staff is truly outstanding and you definitely want your child learning with them every day!

And, just a reminder, report cards will be visible at hcpss.org/connect starting at 4pm on Monday.

Thank you!

Michelle Leader, Principal

Jaime Gittleson, Assistant Principal

February

• 1 - Unity Day - Celebrate Black History: Wear red, black, yellow and/or green.
• 2 - Parent/Teacher Conference Scheduling Window Closes, 4:00 p.m.
• 5 - Report Cards Issued via HCPSS Connect, 4:00 p.m.
• 7 - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 3 Hr. Early Dismissal at 12:50 p.m.
• 8 - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 3 Hr. Early Dismissal at 12:50 p.m.
• 9 - Schools Closed for Students, Professional Learning Day
• 13 - PTA Restaurant Day, Chick-fil-a Johns Hopkins Rd. (all day)
• 16 - PTA Bingo Night, 6:00-8:00pm
• 19 - Schools and Offices Closed, Presidents' Day

March

• 4 - Kindergarten Registration Begins
• 6 - PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
• 7 - Wear green for "Think Green" day
• 13 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early - Professional Work and Wellness Day
• 15 - PTA Scholastic Book Fair begins (through March 21)
• 15 - PTA International Night
• 25 - Schools and Offices Closed, Spring Break begins (through April 1)

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

February 7th and 8th are designated for Parent Teacher Conferences this year. We will be holding 15 minute conferences. Parent Teacher Conferences are a terrific opportunity for staff and parents to partner together for each child’s success. All conferences will be held with your child’s Math teacher. Below are the details about how they will be held based on the date of the conference.

Wednesday, February 7th:

- Conferences from 1:15-4:15pm will be IN PERSON at CCES.

- Conferences from 4:15-7:45pm will be VIRTUAL. A google link will be sent.

Thursday, February 8th:

- All Conferences will be VIRTUAL - A google link will be sent.

The Google Meet link will be sent to you with your confirmation email. If you have questions, please email your child’s math teacher.

Please note, if your child has 5th Grade GT Math with Mrs. Register, you will sign up for a conference with her. She will be communicating more with parents.

Related Arts Info:

In addition, our Related Arts teachers will be holding office hours on February 7th from 1:15-2:15pm to answer any general questions about their classes and curriculum. Please use the link below to join them anytime from 1:15-2:15 that day if you wish. In addition, they have conference slots set up. If you have questions about your individual child, you can sign-up for a conference with that particular Related Arts teacher. If none of the days/times work for you, please email them directly to coordinate a time.

Related Arts Office Hours Google Link:

https://meet.google.com/xpp-kfah-dem

If your conference is virtual, once you enter the google link, you will be put in a “holding space” until the teacher admits you. Because many conferences will be back-to-back, please only log on one minute before your designated time. If you have technology challenges, check your email as your child’s teacher will reach out to you that way. You can also call the school for assistance.

Scheduling Conferences:

Beginning Monday, January 22nd at 8:00 am, you can log into HCPSS Connect to view and select from the time slots provided by the teacher for conferences. Step-by-step directions are below. If you do not have access to HCPSS Connect, please call the school for assistance at 410-313-6866.

Directions to Select a Conference Time:

Login to hcpss.org/connect

Select Conference from the left-side choices

Select Parent Scheduled Conferences at the top right

Select a time slot for your conference

You will have access through Friday, February 2nd at 4:00 pm to schedule your child’s conference by logging into HCPSS Connect.

We look forward to conferencing with you about your child’s progress!

Congratulations to Kate Rhee for winning our CCES Spelling Bee! She will represent CCES at the Howard County Spelling Bee later this spring! Congratulations to Shayaan Asim, our runner up! Both of these students and all of our participants are to be commended for their hard work!!!

If you wish to “opt-in” to receive CCES and HCPSS texts with emergency information or reminders, please follow the directions below:

Send a text to the number: 67587

Text “Yes” in the message.

Reply “Yes” when prompted if you want to “opt-in”

The annual Black History Expo sponsored by the National Panhellenic Council of Howard County and the Howard County Public School System will be held on February 17 at Long Reach HS from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The theme of this year’s event is “African Americans and the Arts.”

HCPSS student organizations are invited to participate with exhibits that speak to the theme "African Americans and the Arts" (exhibit fee is waived), as assistants in various areas, or provide program performances. Students can receive community service hours for their participation. Registration forms for exhibitors, vendors and program performances are included in the Black History Expo packet. The deadline to register to participate is January 20,

Why: Our school will be participating in the “Pull Tab Program” to help benefit the Maryland Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Who: Everyone! Led by our very own 5th Grade Eco-Leaders.

Where: Send your tabs in with your student and have them place them in the bin in their pod area.

When: We will collect tabs through the first week of June.

Our Eco-leaders would like to remind you that our Earth is important!

For more details visit https://rmhcmaryland.org/pull-tabs/.

Please email Mrs. Seifert with any questions. jhonna_seifert@hcpss.org

CCES PTA is offering 5 scholarships for students to participate in the school play! This wonderful after school activity is filling fast. Simply contact Jen Nwosu at president@clemenscrossingpta.org

Disney's 101 Dalmatians KIDS!

Open to 3rd, 4th, & 5th Graders

Rehearsal Dates: 2/15, 2/22, 2/29, 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 4/4, 4/11, 4-6pm

Tech Rehearsals: 4/16 & 4/17 - 5:30-8pm

Show Date: Thursday 4/18 - 7pm

Tuition: $225.00 Scholarships available - email PTA below

Pet owners, Roger and Anita, live happily in London with their dalmatians, Pongo and Perdita, stalwart dogs devoted to raising their puppies. When the monstrous Cruella de Vil plots to steal the puppies for her new fur coat, the dalmatians rally all the dogs of London for a daring rescue!

REGISTRATION Now OPEN!!

1. Go to https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?class=dralc and click"Register Now"

2. Select the "SEASON 2023-24 WINTER CLASSES"

3. Scroll down to class 4A. Clemens Crossing Elementary School

QUESTIONS? Contact president@clemenscrossingpta.org or call DLC directly at 470-997-9352.

Who doesn't feel a bit peckish throughout the workday? And who wouldn't get excited to find something tasty or fun in the lounge? For sure our CCES teachers & staff love a good pick-me-up and we want to give it to them!

Please consider helping the PTA "Stuff the Staff Lounge" with goodies throughout the year. It's an easy way to show our appreciation for all the hard work that goes on in our school! You can signup here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E49AEAE2DA5F8C07-45327230-stuff

Art with KidzArt, Thursdays starting Feb 15, Open to K-5

KidzArt is a FUN, art-enrichment program designed to enhance drawing skills and build each child’s confidence. By using our simple drawing method and specialized format, students will learn to focus, relax and think creatively. Our Certified Instructors help students create original works of art, take risks and think outside of the box. Within each session, students will explore a variety of artist grade materials, such as oil and chalk pastels, watercolor, charcoal, clay, copper, textured papers and much more. Younger children practice following directions and using fine motor skills. Older children love having the creative freedom and guidance to further their skills. KidzArtists will bring home a new masterpiece each week with a kid-tested and educationally rich curriculum that NEVER REPEATS!

https://campscui.active.com/orgs/KidzArtMaryland?fbclid=IwAR2jPF4j4x7gv7sL7P3HgOZnBs27K1BXg8ZFLe0X6C0Crw9Gr08jkeVnWmY&e4q=3532663d-245a-4303-b520-829cee19f1b6&e4p=24694c79-949e-4757-a9a1-6f913a9381fa&e4ts=1706256465&e4c=active&e4e=snlvcmpscui00001load&e4rt=Safetynet&e4h=a741272d269522e94cf33a475c659be0#/selectSessions/3391044

Chess Club with Magnus Academy: Tuesdays starting January 30 (open K-5)

https://chessacademy.com/products/clemens-crossing-chess-club

Learn chess with Magnus Academy, five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen’s academy! We’ve taught 100,000 children to play including state & national champions, but most students are beginners looking to learn a new skill and have FUN. Class time is divided between lessons and practice games. Lessons range from the basic rules to advanced tournament strategies.

Students will have the opportunity to play in tournaments (in-person and online) outside of club time. This in-person club includes free online extras including weekly practice tournaments, a Chesskid Gold membership ($69 value!), and an event with a chess celebrity. Last year's guests were World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Judit Polgar (the best female chess player of all time). All chess supplies provided. All skill levels are welcome. For more information please visit chessacademy.com.

iSTEAM AFTER SCHOOL : Wednesdays starting January 31 (Open to 1st to 4th)

https://www.isteamafterschool.com/event-details/clemens-crossing-wednesday

Do you want to get a head start on the school year? We encourage all parents/guardians to visit the link below to learn what your child will learn this year in grades PreK-5! Once you click on your child’s grade level, use the yellow “course navigation” box in the top right corner to navigate standards, free games, and family activities for each subject area. Happy learning!

https://www.hcpss.org/academics/what-your-child-will-learn-guides/

The Howard County Public School System is committed to providing a safe, engaging and supportive learning environment where all policies are enforced fairly and consistently. HCPSS policies and regulations emphasize instruction and rehabilitation rather than punishment and are designed to foster and reward appropriate behavior and keep students connected to school so they can graduate college and career ready. Please read and review the HCPSS student code of conduct with your child(ren) before the school year begins:

https://www.hcpss.org/f/aboutus/student-handbook/student-code-of-conduct.pdf

HCPSS parents/guardians are required by Board of Education Policy 9000 Student Residency, Eligibility, Enrollment and Assignment to notify HCPSS if they move to a new home address by submitting residency documentation to their student’s current school. Students who have a change of residence on or after the first day of the 2023-2024 school year must request a student reassignment in order to complete the school year at their previous school.

Listed below are the many ways to stay informed at Clemens Crossing Elementary School.

Twitter

• Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/hcpss_cces
• We use Twitter to inform, celebrate, and engage our community.
• Twitter is used to share what is going on in our school, our community, and throughout the Howard County Public School System.
• Turn on notifications to get information the second it is tweeted.
• We live-stream our concerts on Periscope through Twitter.

• Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ClemensCrossingElementary
• We have found that Facebook is the social media most used by our parents so we are now on Facebook, too!
• Our Facebook page is updated automatically from our Twitter feed.
• Please use Facebook to share the good news from CCES with your friends and families.

Instagram

• We use Instagram periodically. We do post pictures and information there.

Website

• Our website, cces.hcpss.org, is updated regularly.
• Important news and information is located on the main page of the site including an archive of our weekly newsletter, Cougar Comments.
• Staff information and email is located under the "Our Staff" tab.
• A subscribable google calendar is located on the "Calendar" tab.

Email

• Email is our main form of communication.
• You will receive news and information automatically to the email address you provide in your Family File. We will not inundate your inbox with email. Look for the weekly Cougar Comments on Friday mornings.
• If you would like email sent to different email addresses, update your email in Family File with the email address you prefer.
• You can subscribe additional email addresses by visiting the HCPSS News site here. http://www.hcpss.org/hcpss-news/
• Weekly announcements, important information and updates, and more will primarily be sent through email.
• You also have the opportunity to opt-in for text messaging

Arts and crafts, healthy living, sports and games, astronomy and history; cub scouts is a little bit of everything, but always fun! In addition to the weekly activities for each grade level, we have pack-wide events like the annual Pinewood Derby, where kids become racecar designers and drivers! And don't worry if you're not a master woodworker - we'll help guide your racecar creation and even provide the necessary tools! To check us out, go to our website at www.pack618md.com and contact us at Cubmaster@pack618md.com.