SJLES Updates 10/22/21
Fri, 10/22/2021 - 2:25pmNEW NEWS
Thank You Mrs. Hanssen!
Today is our school nurse Mrs. Hanssen’s final day with us at SJLES. We are grateful for her years of service to our students and school community. She has done an outstanding job connecting with our students and families, leading our school through COVID protocols, and properly fixing all the boo-boos that have come her way over the past seven years. We wish her the best as she continues her professional journey outside of HCPSS. We look forward to welcoming Katie DeLair to our health room team. Mrs. DeLair joins us from Talbott Springs Elementary and will be serving both schools for a bit during this transition.
Updated Volunteer/Observer Vaccine Requirements
Effective Monday, October 25, all volunteers and visitors who interact with students, and parents/guardians who are conducting classroom observations, will be required to use the PinPoint platform to show proof of full vaccination at least five school days in advance. Learn how to access and use the PinPoint VaccineCheck platform
Kids Helping Kids Food Drive
SJLES is once again participating in the Kids Helping Kids Food Drive to benefit the Maryland Food Bank. This Drive supports families in need right here in our own community. All SJLES donations will go directly to the Howard County Food Bank.
Helping is easy! Non-perishable food donations can be brought to school from 10/25 - 11/8. Students just bring the items to class and give them to their homeroom teacher. 5th grader volunteers will collect and tally the items brought in each day. The class in each grade with the most items collected will be announced the winners of the Golden Turkey Award at the PTA Turkey Trot on 11/14. NEW THIS YEAR - the top class in the whole school with the most items collected will earn 20 MINUTES OF EXTRA RECESS.
Let's see how much of a difference we can make in our community this fall!
Bring Chromebooks Daily!
Just a reminder to ensure your student(s) bring their fully-charged Chromebooks to school daily. Students should bring the device and power cord, as well as any external keyboard/mouse they may opt to use.
PumpedUp Spirit Week is HERE!
We are so excited for next week’s Pumped Up Spirit Week! Our spirit day themes are listed below. In addition to our spirit days each team will engage in Pumped Up Recess. Pumped Up Recess is a special 45-minute recess where staff, administrators, and students all come together to play, dance, and celebrate our responsible, respectful, and ready to learn behaviors demonstrated throughout the school year thus far. We are looking forward to celebrating next week and showing our Jaguar Pride!
- 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! NO COSTUMES PLEASE!
- 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!
11/22-11/24 Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for November 22nd-24th. Virtual Conferences with English Language Arts teachers will be the default choice with requests for in-person options available. Parents will begin signing up for conferences in mid-November. Stay tuned for additional information!
PTA Turkey Trot is Coming Sunday 11/14!
Please check out the details about our Annual PTA Turkey Trot!
Reminder: PTA Movie Night TONIGHT!
Join in the fun as we host our first Movie Night!
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When: TONIGHT, Friday, October 22
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Time: Arrive at 6pm, movie will start at 6:30pm
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Location: Outside, in the field behind the car loop
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Movie featured: Sing!
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Admissions: $3 per person. Concessions will be available for $1 per item.
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Tickets are limited, so be sure to purchase yours ASAP!
Planning for Vaccinations for Eligible 5-11 Year-Olds
HCPSS is partnering with the Howard County Health Department to plan for anticipated upcoming COVID-19 vaccination opportunities for children ages 5-11.
In order to determine interest and possible numbers of vaccine doses needed locally, HCPSS is surveying families of students who may be eligible. This is for informational and planning purposes only; names/email addresses are not being collected. This is not a commitment or a guarantee of vaccination availability.
Families of children ages 5-11 are asked to please complete the survey by Friday, October 22. As we receive additional information from the Health Department, we will provide that to families. Complete this brief survey.
Answers to frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine can be found on the Howard County Health Department’s website. Additional information on COVID vaccines can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
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10/22 - Spirit Day - Rainbow Day: Wear as many colors as you can today!
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10/22 - PTA Movie Night - Featuring “Sing!” @ 6:00 PM - (Rain date 11/5)
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10/25 - Kids Helping Kids Food Drive Begins
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10/25 - Spirit Day - Pumped Up JaguarPride Monday!
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10/25 - 10/29 - Quarter 1 PBIS Celebrations: Pumped Up Recess
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10/25 - MAP Make-up window opens at SJLES
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10/26 - Spirit Day - Cozy Time Tuesday!
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10/27 - Flu Vaccine Clinic
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10/27 - Spirit Day- Buddy Wednesday!
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10/28 - Spirit Day- Team Choice Thursday!
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10/29 - Spirit Day- Be You Friday! NO COSTUMES PLEASE!
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11/3 - End of 1st Marking Period
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11/3 - PTA Meeting @ 8:00 PM
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11/4 - Schools Closed for Students - Professional Work Day
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11/5 - Spirit Day - When I Grow Up Day: Dress up as an occupation you would like to be when you grow up
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11/8 - Kids Helping Kids Food Drive Closes
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11/8 - Parent/Teacher Conf. Scheduling Window Opens
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11/4 - Professional Learning Day - No School for Students
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11/14 - Turkey Trot @ 10:00 AM - 12:00 noon (Rain date 11/21)
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11/3 - End of 1st Marking Period
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11/3 - PTA Meeting @ 8:00 PM
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11/4 - Schools Closed for Students - Professional Work Day
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11/5 - Spirit Day: When I Grow Up Day: Dress up as an occupation you would like to be when you grow up
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11/8 - Kids Helping Kids Food Drive Closes
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11/8 - Parent/Teacher Conf. Scheduling Window Opens
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11/10 - Report Cards Issued
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11/14 - Turkey Trot @ 10:00 AM - 12:00 noon (Rain date 11/21)
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11/15-11/19 - American Education Week
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11/18 - Parent/Teacher Conf. Scheduling Window Closes
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11/18 - Absentees & Retake Portraits
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11/19- Spirit Day - #JaguarPride: Celebrate our SJLES Pride & wear your Spirit Wear or school colors
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11/22-11/24 - Parent Teacher Conferences
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11/25-11/26 - All HCPSS Schools & Offices Closed
REPEATED NEWS
Daily Health Check Reminder
Parents/guardians MUST perform a COVID-19 health check every day before your student leaves home.
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.
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.