NEW NEWS
Schools are CLOSED TOMORROW, Friday, October 15th
All HCPSS schools are closed for a professional learning day. Enjoy the day off, Jaguars!
REMINDER: TONIGHT is Restaurant Night at Squisito Pizza & Pasta!
Head to Squisito for dinner tonight (Thursday, 10/14) and help earn money for SJLES PTA programs! No flyers to bring or receipts to save. Just mention St. John’s Lane Elementary when you are checking out, and Squisito will donate 15% of sales to the SJLES PTA. Dine-in and take-out orders are both accepted. Thanks for your support!
Bus Update: Assigned Seating
All students who regularly ride the bus have received an assigned seat for their ride to and/or from school each day. Students who only ride the bus sometimes will be seated by the driver when they board. Drivers have a list of students who have been assigned to the bus by HCPSS as eligible riders, but do not regularly ride the bus.
Parents and guardians, please join us in celebrating what a wonderful job the students are doing with their assigned seats! Many have already received spot-o-grams for showing responsibility and making sure they follow this rule on the bus. We are very proud of them!
Reminder for Outdoor Lunch Students
If your child eats lunch outside, and brings their lunch to school, please remember to send a drink or water bottle with their lunch. Unfortunately, our outdoor lunch staff and volunteers cannot leave the tent to go inside and get cups and water for students. Thank you!
Screener for Identifying Reading Difficulties
All Howard County students K through 5th grade will participate in a screener for identifying reading difficulties. The attached document will give families more information on the screenings and when they will occur over the school year. Also attached are translations in Chinese, Korean, and Spanish.
PumpedUp Spirit Week is Coming!
Monday, 10/25 - Pumped Up JaguarPride Monday! - Take your school spirit to the next level to kickoff our Pumped Up Spirit Week. Students can show their JaguarPride, but pump it up just like our Pumped Up Recess celebration. Add some colored hair, silly socks, wacky glasses, and/or mismatched shoes to our school colors and/or spirit wear to get the week started right!
Tuesday, 10/26 - Cozy Time Tuesday! - Students can stay in their school-appropriate pajamas (no footies) the entire day! Feel free to keep extra cozy throughout the day by bringing a small blanket or pillow, that can fit in your backpack, to school.
Wednesday, 10/27 - My Buddy Wednesday! - Students can decide if they would like to bring a small plush toy/stuffed animal or even a special memento from a trip, trophy, etc. to school to spend the day with. This will sit on the corner of the desk for all to see and may be part of SEL lessons during the day.
Thursday, 10/28 - Team Choice Thursday! - Grade level teams vote to choose their very own special spirit day!
Friday, 10/29 - Be You Friday! - While some students get ready to dress up in a costume over the weekend, this spirit day focuses on celebrating the coolness and individuality of each and every SJLES Jaguar. Students, wear something that tells us who YOU are!
If you play a sport such as soccer, baseball, or basketball, then wear your team jersey to school!
If you enjoyed a special trip or summer vacation, then wear your souvenir shirt to school!
If you adore unicorns, puppies, or kittens, then wear a shirt with your favorite creature/ animal to school!
If you are a big fan of a musical artist, movie, game, or show, then wear that school-appropriate shirt to school!
If you are a fan of a sports team, wear the cap and/or jersey of that team to school!
If you just are feeling funky and want to dress in your own style that simply makes you YOU, then go for it!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
10/14 - PTA Restaurant Night - Squisito
10/15 - Professional Work Day - No School for Students
10/18 - MAP window opens at SJLES
10/22 - Spirit Day - Rainbow Day: Wear as many colors as you can today!
10/22 - PTA Movie Night - Featuring “Sing!” @ 6:00 PM - (Rain date 11/5)
10/25 - Spirit Day - Pumped Up JaguarPride Monday!
10/25 - 10/29 - Quarter 1 PBIS Celebrations: Pumped Up Recess
10/25 - MAP Make-up window opens at SJLES
10/26 - Spirit Day- Cozy Time Tuesday!
10/27 - Flu Vaccine Clinic
10/27 - Spirit Day- Buddy Wednesday!
10/28 - Spirit Day- Team Choice Thursday!
10/29 - Spirit Day- Be You Friday!
11/3 - End of 1st Marking Period
11/3 - PTA Meeting @ 8:00 PM
11/4 - Professional Learning Day - No School for Students
11/14 - Turkey Trot @ 10:00 AM - 12:00 noon (Rain date 11/21)
REPEATED NEWS
Daily Health Check Reminder
Parents/guardians MUST perform a COVID-19 health check every day before your student leaves home.
Fall MAP Testing
SJLES will administer the MAP test to all students in 1st through 5th grades in Reading and Math beginning the week of 10/18. Make-up testing will occur the week of 10/25.
MAP testing is administered using your child’s Chromebook. Please send them to school each day with a fully charged Chromebook the week of 10/18. First graders will be provided with SJLES Chromebooks if their HCPSS-issued Chromebooks have not yet arrived by the time of testing.
The HCPSS website contains detailed information about MAP testing here. If you have questions about MAP testing at SJLES, please contact Erin Coleman at erin_coleman@hcpss.org.
COMMUNITY NEWS
MHHS Pancake Breakfast
We are so excited to announce that Mt. Hebron's Annual Homecoming Pancake Breakfast is back!!! Please join us on Saturday, October 16th from 7:30am - 10:30am for breakfast in front of the school as we kick off an exciting day of Homecoming events celebrating our Viking Football, Marching Band, Cheer, and Lancer Programs.
Tickets will be $8 in advance, or $10 at the door. Children 5 and under are free. Click here to purchase tickets! While we remain vigilant with the continued impact of Covid-19 on our community, we look forward to celebrating our amazing young people and our amazing community safely. We will follow all protocols required by the Howard County Public School System and the Howard County Health Department. Hand sanitizer stations will be set up in the outside eating areas and in the cafeteria. All persons in attendance who enter the building will be required to wear a mask at all times. Masks will not be required outside, however, as recommended by the CDC, unvaccinated individuals are encouraged to wear a mask.Thank you for your support of the Mt. Hebron Football Program. GO VIKINGS!!!
Free Parenting Classes
HC DrugFree and the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office are providing another series of online classes for parents/guardians (grandparents welcome!) of 9-14 year olds on Tuesdays, November 9, 16, December 7 and 14 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. If student isn’t 9-14, parent/guardian may register and we will confirm. Students will be invited to join adults at the 3 rd class to learn skills. To register and for more information, go to https://hcdrugfree.org/2021/09/guiding-good-choices-free-classes-for-parents-2/ or contact Admin@hcdrugfree.org
Drive-thru Medication, EpiPens, Needles, & Syringes Collection
HC DrugFree and the Howard County Police urge you to clean out your medicine cabinets. Bring over-the-counter and prescription medication and “sharps” to our convenient drive-thru collection on Saturday, October 23 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. in the Wilde Lake Village Center parking lot near the Swim Center and The UPS Store. Safe distancing outdoors. Follow CDC/County safety guidance. No need to remove labels or get out of vehicle. Sharps must be in appropriate sharps containers so volunteers do not get pricked. Separate sharps from meds. Visit https://hcdrugfree.org/drug-take-back-day-1/ for more information or email Admin@hcdrugfree.org
Free Cold Weather Gear
Please see the following flyer about free cold weather gear available through Howard County MultiService Center.
Saturday, October 16 1:00 to 3:00 pm.
North Laurel Community Center 9411 Whiskey Bottom Road, Laurel, MD 20723
Face masks must be worn on-site for the safety of all persons.
This information is neither sponsored nor endorsed by HCPSS or the school.
Adult, Student, and Medically-Trained Volunteers Needed
Student and adult volunteers are needed to assist at HC DrugFree/Howard County Police drive-thru medication collection on Saturday, October 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Wilde Lake Village Center parking lot. Also, medically-trained adults are needed to collect/sort medication. Visit https://hcdrugfree.org/drug-take-back-day-1/ for more information or contact Admin@hcdrugfree.org
Receive HC DrugFree's Free Newsletter
Packed with information for parents and opportunities for students, go to https://hcdrugfree.org/enews-signup/
Community News and Programs
Please visit the Community News and Programs page at http://www.hcpss.org/community-news-and-programs/ for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.