SJLES Updates 10/9/2020

Fri, 10/09/2020 - 1:12pm

Greetings SJLES Families, 

Believe it or not, we are at the midpoint of the first quarter already! Mrs. Redd and I are so pleased with how well our students have transitioned to this virtual learning environment. As we visit our virtual classrooms, we see our students engaged, actively participating, and leveraging the various digital tools to demonstrate their understanding. This would not be possible without the tremendous efforts of our staff and families. I wish there was a better and more robust word than THANK YOU to describe how grateful I am to you all for partnering in such a positive way to make a difference for our Jaguars. Please continue the outstanding collaboration, stay well, and have a great weekend, SJLES! 

Sincerely,

Dan Notari

SJLES Principal

NEW NEWS

Privacy Guidelines for Parents/Guardians

To maintain a positive, productive learning environment and assure confidentiality for students and teachers during distance learning, all parents/guardians are asked to follow the following privacy guidelines.

  • Google Meet virtual instruction is designed for students. To prevent disruptions to the learning environment, parents/guardians should not actively participate in check-in sessions, although parents/guardians may assist their child with technology and/or remain nearby.

  • Do not video record, audio record, photograph, live stream, or transmit in any other way any part of a Google Meet, including not posting on any social media platform.

  • Any confidential or personally identifiable information related to students participating during Google Meets should not be collected, discussed or shared.

  • Parents/guardians should not engage with students during Google Meets. If you need to speak with your child during a check-in session, first mute your child’s microphone.

  • If a parent/guardian has a question, please email your child’s teacher. 

Parents/guardians should email your child’s principal with any questions or concerns regarding privacy or virtual classroom expectations. Thank you for your support and cooperation in ensuring that virtual learning is a positive, productive and enjoyable experience for all participants. 

SJLES Technology Support Form

Please find below information regarding technology support for fall virtual instruction that includes both self-help resources and how to request technology support.

If after reviewing these resources, your family continues to need support, please complete the Student and Family Technology Support Request Form and one of our staff members will reach out to you as soon as possible. If you cannot access the online form for any reason, please call the school at 410-313-2813. 

Staff will attempt to resolve the issue, and if unsuccessful will provide directions for exchanging the broken device for a working one at the school system’s Onsite Technology Center. This information is also posted on our SJLES Website 

Schedule Adjustments for Scheduled Early Dismissal Days 

The HCPSS 2020-2021 calendar includes four scheduled 3-hour early dismissal days: 

  • Friday, October 16, 2020 

  • Friday, November 6, 2020 

  • Monday, November 23, 2020 

  • Tuesday, November 24, 2020 

Our virtual schedules have been adjusted for these scheduled early dismissal days to provide students with synchronous learning for each class. Please click on the link below to access the HCPSS Elementary Schedule for 3 Hour Early Dismissal Days…

Monitor Donations

Many teachers have discovered that using a second computer monitor can enhance their ability to teach virtually.  If you have a computer monitor that you are not using and would like to donate to our staff, please feel free to drop it off at SJLES.  You can do this by bringing it to our school Monday - Friday  between 8:00 - 4:00 and leave it inside our front entrance vestibule. Please wear a mask and follow all social distancing protocols. Thank you very much!

Virtual Parent Cafés

  • Virtual Parent Cafés are a free, safe space for parents to have meaningful conversations with other parents. The structured conversations give parents an opportunity to talk together about things that matter to them. They’re a great way to help us stay connected and keep our families strong during these difficult times.

  • A parent in a recent Virtual Parent Café shared “Parent Cafés help me talk about things I need to talk about and realize I’m not alone.”

  • Maryland Family Network is providing Virtual Parent Cafés for parents of children birth through age five. Please share information about these Cafés with your families!

  • Below are the links which can be forwarded to parents, or posted on social media sites.  Advance registration is required – just click on the link for the Cafe you want to attend!

MAP Updates

Thank you to all of our families for their support with this week’s Measured Academic Progress (MAP) administration. We appreciate your patience and perseverance with this first virtual facilitation of MAP. On Wednesday 10/14, students in grades 2-5 will complete our Math MAP assessment. The MAP assessment is an online tool that will help teachers gauge where your child is starting the year academically. The assessment is designed to adjust the difficulty of the questions based on student response. Be aware that, at times, it may appear that the test is too hard or too easy for your student. However, as they progress, the test questions will be geared more towards their level. It is normal for students to only answer about half the questions correctly. To learn more about the MAP assessment, please go to THIS WEB PAGE.

During testing, we encourage all students to have their video camera on. Teachers will be monitoring the test and assisting students when needed for things like technology issues, test stress, and noticing when a student may need some encouragement to do their best. Having the camera on allows them to properly monitor and help their students. 

Testing will occur at two different time blocks this Wednesday, 10/14 at  9-11am OR 1-3 pm. Your child’s teacher will let our students know which session to attend.  

Our goal is to have 100% attendance during these times. If your child is unable to attend, makeup testing will be offered during asynchronous learning times.

Due to MAP testing on October 7 and 14, the following adjustments will be made to asynchronous assignments for students in grades 2-5 ONLY:

  • No Dreambox assignments will be assigned on the above Wednesdays

  • No Lexia Core5 assignments will be assigned on the above Wednesdays

  • No mathematics task will be assigned on the above Wednesdays

  • No changes will be made for related arts and science asynchronous assignments on the above Wednesdays

Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you have any questions. Teachers will share the Google Meet information and your student’s testing group as we approach Math MAP. 

Taking Care of Each Other 

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our community and while the daily number of new cases in Maryland continues to decrease, the virus continues to spread. You can keep our Jaguars and community safe by always remembering to wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines. Additional information about precautions can be found on the Howard County Health Department website.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

All dates will be posted on our SJLES Public Calendar.

  • 10/9 - Sports Day: Grab your jersey, t-shirt, medal, or trophy to show us your favorite sport!

  • 10/14 - MAP Math: Seatings @ 9:00 & 1:00

  • 10/16 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early

  • 10/16 - #JaguarPride: Celebrate our SJLES Pride and wear your Spirit Wear or school colors

  • 10/21 - ORANGE DAY: Wear as much orange as you can to raise awareness about bullying prevention 

  • 10/23 - Basketball Friday: wear your favorite basketball team colors, jersey, or hat

  • 11/1 - Daylight Saving Time Ends

  • 11/3 - Election Day - Schools and Offices Closed

  • 11/6 - End of First Marking Period

  • 11/6 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early

  • 11/16 - Report Cards Issued

  • 11/16 - 11/20 - American Education Week

  • 11/23 & 11/24 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early - Parent/Teacher Conferences

  • 11/25 - Schools Closed for Students - Parent/Teacher Conferences

  • 11/26 & 11/27 - Thanksgiving Holiday - Schools Closed

REPEATED NEWS

Family File Update

As of today, 77% of our families have completed/updated their student’s Family FIle.  We need your help to get that number to 100%! We still have 150+ students who need to update the following important information in Family File...

  •  Student Information

  •  Parent/Guardian Contact

  •  Emergency Contacts

  •  Medical Information

  •  Arrival/Dismissal Procedures

  •  Photo Approval

  •  Data Confidentiality

  •  PTA/PTSA Directory

Please remember, regardless of virtual or in-person learning, parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child. Parents/guardians can complete Family File by logging in to HCPSS Connect selecting the More Options tab on the left and then selecting Family File in the center column. Resources on how to access Family File may be found online, including instructions on how to reset passwords. If you need additional assistance, please complete this Connect Help Form.

Hispanic Heritage Month

This month (September 15th-October 15th) we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. These dates were chosen because eight Latin American countries celebrate their independence days during this month. This is the perfect time for us to learn more about the Latin American culture, history, and traditions. 

To give students the option to learn more, there is now a module in our Language Arts page titled "Hispanic Heritage Month." All the activities are optional for students, and they will be available throughout the entire month of October! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Liaison Mrs. Blake at Natalie_Blake@hcpss.org. 

HCPSS Halloween Update

As part of our school system’s commitment to equity and inclusion, we continue to focus on building community and creating welcoming environments for all students. While we recognize that Halloween activities held during the school day have been a long standing tradition at many HCPSS schools, including SJLES, a decision has been made to not offer Halloween activities during the virtual instructional day across HCPSS this school year. While Halloween is not part of our HCPSS curriculum, the greater concern is that the virtual environment does not easily allow students to refrain from Halloween-related activities and still be engaged in school. Our PTA will soon share an optional engaging and safe PTA-sponsored activity for interested students.

The Council of Elders (TCOE) & HCPSS Workshops

TCOE and HCPSS have partnered to sponsor a parent workshop series. There will be a total of four workshops offered and each session will be held virtually.  The flyer is attached and can be shared with families in your school community.

Save the Date-Council of Elders-1.pdf

Free Food Distribution Site

Saturdays in October families can pick up free food at Ducketts Lane Elementary School in Elkridge. See details below & flyer for more information. Click Here for Flier

  • Each car/family will receive a 36lb box of food that includes fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and dairy

  • No documentation or income requirements

  • Anyone is welcome, individuals do not need to have children in HCPSS

  • Every Saturday in October 10:00 AM at Ducketts Lane Elementary School

PTA Membership

There’s still time to join the PTA online. Membership is $12 or $20 for families. You also have the opportunity to donate to the SJLES PTA. Your donation helps us reduce fundraisers and increases the quality of our events throughout the year. As always, your donation directly benefits our teachers, staff and students. Any questions please email sjlesptamail@gmail.com 

PTA Website

Have you seen the PTA website recently??? Massive thanks to Meg & Paul Halvorsen for giving it a much needed face lift. We now have up to date calendar of events, regular notices, and helpful links.  

SJLES Spirit Wear

SJLES spirit wear can now be purchased online. The kids especially love the hoodies so make sure you check out our store!

PTA Virtual Parent Chats + Survey

The PTA would like to offer a chance for parents to connect with each other.  This year has so many new aspects and challenges, perhaps we can be a resource to each other as we try to navigate it.  We are considering scheduling “Parent Chats” via Zoom for each grade level.  Don’t worry - these are not related to planning any PTA events!  The chats would be a way to meet other parents, support each other, and reach others going through similar situations.  Some suggested discussion topics may include...

  • Questions and helpful tips relating to technology platforms (Canvas, Dreambox, Lexia, Flipgrid, etc) 

  • Learning spaces at home - what has worked and what hasn’t 

  • Siblings - How to keep track of assignments for multiple grade levels / How to balance little ones not yet in school while helping with school time?

  • Calls will be managed by a volunteer facilitator and kept to an agenda. We would also be happy to receive questions in advance to ensure that these discussion are targeting what everyone is thinking about. 

  • We’ve created a very short (2 min) survey to gauge interest  - please take a moment (seriously, 2 mins!) to let us know what you think: SURVEY

Box Tops

Box Tops is an easy way to earn money for our school. The program is moving towards an online app on which you scan receipts to earn the rewards, but you can still clip Box Tops and return them to the school (in a Ziploc bag) once school reopens. See the attachment below  for more details on using the online app. Any questions, email Sayli Moskowitz at sayliw@gmail.com