Greetings SJLES Families, 

Thanks to a donation from the Simon family our students, families, and visitors will see our Jaguar Pride on full display when they enter our building for years to come. The piece below created by artist Jack Pabis is simply gorgeous and is a very welcomed addition to our storied building. 

 

As I walk around our school, I am constantly reminded by the multiple murals and works of art that generations of students have been served by our school, that so many staff members have made contributions to move us forward to this point, and that this supportive community continues to partner with their neighborhood school for now over 66 years. This beautiful piece in addition to the jaguar mural in our cafeteria added last year by Mr. Pabis and the Simon family are outstanding compliments to the works of art that grace our school’s walls. These timestamps of our past and present combined with a clear vision and a mission to ensure the academic success and social-emotional well-being for each and every student we serve leads to a very bright future for SJLES. We can’t wait for our students to see this mosaic in person when we all can safely return to our traditional delivery model of instruction. Until then we will continue to connect and thrive from a safe distance virtually. 

 

On behalf of Mrs. Redd, and our entire SJLES staff, we wish you the very best the holidays can offer and a healthy and happy 2021. Thank you for your continued support, collaboration, encouragement, and kindness. We are grateful to partner with you in your child’s education. Happy Holidays SJLES!
 

Sincerely,

Dan Notari

SJLES Principal

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NEW NEWS

Food Bank Donation Update 

We can’t thank you all enough for your support of the Howard County Food Bank. In a few short weeks, our SJLES community raised a total of $1,380 to support the Howard County Food Bank. This holiday season it cost $50 to provide a family a week’s worth of food. That means you all are directly responsible for making sure 28 families had food this week!!  Thank you for your continued generosity, SJLES!!!   

 

Robinson Nature Center Virtual Field Trips 

We are happy to share that all of our Jaguars will take a virtual field with the Robinson Nature Center after we return from Winter Break. Teachers will share additional information with their individual homerooms. Listed below is an overview of each grade level’s program. Thanks to Mrs. Mary Pat Robinson for her work coordinating this opportunity for our students and to The Robinson Nature Center for engaging our students in these virtual field trips!   

 

Grades K & 1: Wildlife Wonders - Animals fascinate. From foxes and finches to frogs and fish, introduce your students to common kinds of animals with an emphasis on the five vertebrate groups (birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians). Investigate the similarities and differences between animal groups through props and mounts. Older students further explore life cycles and gain an understanding of how young animals, particularly amphibians, can differ drastically in appearance from their parents. 

Grades 2 & 3: Happening Habitats - Adaptations are everywhere, and there is no better way to investigate than by examining the organisms found in different locations at the center. Discover how plants and animals have special features and types of coloration that allow them to survive in specific habitats. Compare man-made inventions to features found on plants and animals; and determine how humans and organisms use these features to meet their basic needs. Examine furs, feathers, seeds and other objects that give clues to the survival of animals and plants that call each habitat “home.” 

Grades 4 &5: Starlight, How Bright? - Witness the wonders of the night sky in this immersive planetarium program! Observe the relationship of the Earth to the moon and the Sun. See how Earth’s movement though space causes patterns in the appearance of stars and other celestial objects. Explore the constellations; and learn why stars change position seasonally. Investigate the scale of our solar system and the planets within it. 

 

Winter Break Meal Adjustments

Schools will be closed for winter break from December 24 through January 1. To ensure children have access to essential nutrition during the holiday period, families may pick up additional meals in advance of the break. Pre-ordering will not be available for meals picked up December 21-23 or January 4-6. See all service and schedule adjustments.

 

HCC Kids on Campus

HCC’s well-known Kids on Campus program provides enrichment education for youth ages 8 to 17. Topics range from Art from Around the World, Roblox, Nature Explorers, Math enrichment, World Languages, and SAT Prep. HCC Kids on Campus has something for every interest! This could be a great opportunity for students to supplement around content areas they want to learn more about or need support in! Upcoming available courses can be found here.  A limited number of scholarships are available for families who need financial aid. If you believe you may be eligible for financial aid, please complete this application and submit it via email to  NoncreditFinAid@howardcc.edu as soon as possible. 

 

Impact Aid Forms

Parents/guardians who work on a federal property in Maryland and/or are a member of a uniformed service can qualify HCPSS to receive additional federal funding by completing the Impact Aid form online by December 31. Impact Aid supplements the HCPSS operating budget to enhance the teaching and learning that takes place in Howard County classrooms.

Read More

 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Access our SJLES Public Calendar at https://sjles.hcpss.org/calendar 

• 12/18 - Sweater Day:  Wear your ugliest, most interesting or favorite sweater

• 12/22 - PJ Day:  Wear your favorite pjs to celebrate the last day of school before Winter Break

• 12/23 - Live Content Support Sessions Cancelled

• 12/24 - 1/3 - Winter Break: Schools and Offices Closed

• 1/4 - HCPSS Schools Reopen

• 1/6 @ 6:30 - Virtual PTA meeting 

• 1/12 @ 6:00 - Burleigh Manor MS Orientation 

• 1/14 @ 6:30 - Patapsco MS Orientation

• 1/18 - MLK Birthday Observed: Schools and Offices Closed

• 1/19 @ 6:00 - The Council of Elders Celebration of Academic Achievement

• 1/28 - Quarter 2 Ends

• 1/29 - Professional Work Day: Schools Closed for Students

• 2/4 - Patapsco Middle School Back to School Knight  

REPEATED NEWS 

Young Author’s Contest

Congratulations to the following students who won the YAC at St. John’s Lane Elementary for their poems or short stories. They will move on to the county-wide contest. Good luck!

• Poetry

  • Sruthika G. - Grade 1

  • Aditya A. - Grade 2

  • Akshan P. - Grade 3

  • Sameeha S. - Grade 4

  • Sree Saranya G. - Grade 5

• Short Story

  • Anya M.  Grade 2

  • Bryn M. - Grade 3

  • Jiya M. - Grade 4

  • Aditya S.- Grade 5

ATTN Students Attending Burleigh Manor Middle School Next Year!

• January 12th at 6:00pm - Rising 6th Grade Parent Orientation

ATTN Students Attending Patapsco Middle School Next Year!

• January 14th at 6:30pm - Rising 6th Grade Parent Orientation

On this night we welcome our rising 6th grade parents to attend our Virtual Orientation to learn about middle school, the 6th grade schedule, and answer any questions about the transition to middle school. We will be meeting at the code PMS-Orientation. Please use your student's username and password (credentials) to access the Google Meet.  We look forward to seeing you at orientation! Go Knights!

 

Preferred Name Rollout

A new process will be enabled in January 2021 to allow students to show a preferred name in Synergy, Canvas and Google. Students can follow this process.

1. Go to hcpss.me

2. Go to Synergy

3. Click on “Student Info” in the lower left

4. Look for the “Preferred First Name” field to see what is there now.

5. This name will show in Canvas and Google beginning the first week of January, 2021.

   1. If you do not want this name to show or would like something else to show, contact your administrator  by December 21, 2020.

   2. If you do want this name to show, you don’t need to do anything.

Note: The preferred name will carry over from year to year unless a change is requested. Once a requested change is made, that preferred name will remain for the student’s HCPSS career unless another change is requested through the school secretary/administrator. 

For students who are transgender or gender non-binary, there is an additional procedure to mask their legal name and/or gender assigned at birth, providing additional confidentiality. If you think this may apply to you, please reach out to your school counselor to discuss. Let your counselor know that you are interested in learning about the presenting name option/masking process.

 

SJLES Technology Help

If you experience any technology issues, remember to fill out our SJLES Technology Form and a member of our team will help you. Additional details can be found on sjles.hcpss.org