Greetings SJLES Families,

Thank you to our outstanding PTA for an awesome May Day last Saturday and for providing a wonderful week of treats and gifts to our staff during Teacher Appreciation Week. We truly appreciate all you do for our community and staff! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

 

Thank you to our families that attended our PTA meeting this past Wednesday and to those who volunteered to join our PTA Board of Directors for 2023-2024. We are still in need of a PTA President for next school year. If you are interested in learning more please reach out to our current President Meg Halvorsen at SJLES.PTAmail@gmail.com and please feel free to email me at dnotari@hcpss.org if I can be helpful in any way, as well. 

 

It is a busy time of year here at The Lane as we approach the end of the school year. There are many end of the year items below in the REPEATED NEWS section that you don’t want to miss. We have Pumped Up Picnic dates, promotion ceremonies for kindergarten and fifth grade, 2023-2024 parent input forms, transportation registration reminders, and several other items that you will want to have on your radar as we bring closure to our school year. Thanks for your time reading through the Update and have a great weekend, SJLES! 

 

Sincerely,

Dan Notari 

SJLES Principal 

 

NEW NEWS

Pre-K & Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten: Registration for the 2023-2024 school year is open! Families of children who will be five years old by September 1, 2023 should enroll their child in kindergarten or submit a kindergarten waiver. “It’s Time to Register for Kindergarten” fliers and posters have been distributed to all elementary schools; electronic files can be accessed on Canvas. Families can find more information about enrolling children in kindergarten, as well as resources to support kindergarten readiness, the kindergarten waiver, and more on the HCPSS website.

Pre-K: Families of children who will be four years old by September 1, 2023 may apply for Pre-K. For an application and more information about the program and 2023-2024 eligibility, please visit the HCPSS website. Parents/guardians should submit a completed application to hcpss_pk@hcpss.org or to their local elementary school. Pre-K Program Location fliers and posters have been distributed to all elementary schools; electronic versions of Pre-K applications and advertising fliers can be accessed on Canvas. 

Special Education Parent Involvement Survey

All Parents of students with disabilities were sent the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey. The purpose of this survey is to hear from parents about how well they think their child’s school is partnering with them and promoting parent involvement in their child’s education.  This information will provide valuable feedback for the HCPSS Department of Special Education.  The last day to complete the survey is  May 19. The survey can be accessed online: (https://www.mdparentsurvey.com)

MARK YOUR CALENDAR 

• Click here to access/subscribe to our SJLES Public Calendar 

• Click here to access/subscribe to the updated HCPSS Calendar

• Click here to access the HCPSS Related Arts Color Day Schedule        

• 5/8 - 5/12 - Staff Appreciation Week

• 5/12 - Maryland Day: wear Maryland shirts or colors (red, white, black, yellow)

• 5/12 - Second Grade Field Trip to MD Zoo 

• 5/15 - 5/18 - Maryland Mobile Science Lab Visits SJLES 

• 5/16 @ 5:15 - 8:15 - Night of the Arts

  • 6:00 - 3rd grade Orchestra Spring Concert

  • 7:15 - 4th & 5th grade Orchestra Spring Concert 

• 5/18 - Jaguar Garden Day 

• 5/18 - Kindergarten Field Trip to MD Zoo

• 5/19 - Schools Closed for Students: Professional Learning/Articulation

• 5/23 @ 7:00 - Chorus Concert (please note corrected time)

• 5/24 @ 4:00 - Incoming Kindergarten Sneak A Peek

• 5/25 - Gr 5 Simulated Congressional Hearings

• 5/26 - Field Day - Wear Your Field Day Shirt!

• 5/26 - 2023-2024 Parent Input Form Due

• 5/29 - Schools & Offices Closed

• 6/1 - 2023-2024 Transportation Registration Closes

• 6/1 @ 10:00 - 5th Gr. Middle School Visit

• 6/1 @ 11:00 - 5th Grade Program Howard County Conservancy

• 6/2 - Field Day Rain Date 

• 6/2 - Red, White & Blue Day! Wear Red, White, & Blue to school! 

• 6/6 - HoCo Library Visit 

• 6/6 @ 11:45-12:45 - Gr1 Pumped Up Picnic

• 6/7 @  9:30-11:30 -  5th Grade Picnic

• 6/7 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early : SJLES Dismissal begins at 12:20

• 6/8 @ 11:15 -12:15 - Gr2 Pumped Up Picnic 

• 6/8 @ 1:15-2:15 - Gr4 Pumped Up Picnic

• 6/9 @ 9:30-11:30 - Kindergarten Promotion & Picnic

• 6/9 @ 12:15-1:15 - Gr3 Pumped Up Picnic 

• 6/9 - Summer Lovin' Day: Grab your sunglasses, Hawaiian shirt, lei or shirt from your favorite vacation to say HELLO to summer in style!

• 6/12 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early: SJLES Dismissal begins at 12:20

• 6/13 - Fifth Grade Promotion Ceremony (Tentatively Scheduled for 9:30-11:00)

• 6/13 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early: SJLES Dismissal begins at 12:20

• 6/14 - Last Scheduled Student Day: Schools Close 3 Hours Early - SJLES Dismissal begins at 12:20

REPEATED NEWS

MD Mobile Science Lab is Visiting Next Week!

The Maryland Mobile Science Lab Food, Fiber, & You will be here at SJLES the week of 5/15. All SJLES students will engage in hands-on investigations that are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, Environmental Literacy, and Common Core State Standards. Our primary students will participate in a 30-minute mini lab while our intermediate students will spend 50-minutes in the science lab. We are looking forward to this first visit of the lab to SJLES! 

Register by June 1 for 2023-2024 Bus Service

Spanish  | Chinese | Korean

Families whose students are eligible for HCPSS-provided transportation are required to register by June 1 to receive bus service for the coming 2023-2024 school year. Families who reside in non-transportation areas and those who have students who receive transportation as part of their IEP or 504 Plan do not need to take any action.

Parent Input Form For Students Attending SJLES Next Year   

As part of our planning and preparation for 2023-2024, we would like to provide the opportunity to share insights you would like us to consider as we begin the articulation process. This input form is for you, as parents, to relate specific information about your child that you feel would be useful as our staff collaborates to create next year's classes. Our goal of this process is to build heterogeneous classes which foster the academic success and social-emotional well-being of each student in an inclusive and nurturing environment that closes opportunity gaps. Please consider completing our SJLES Parent Input Form 2023-2024 by Friday, 5/26 to provide us with useful insights regarding your Jaguar(s).

2023-2024 Kindergarten Registration & May 24th Sneak A Peek!

HCPSS Kindergarten registration for the 2023-2024 school year is open! Parents/guardians of children who will be five on or before September 1, 2023, must enroll their children in kindergarten for the 2023-2024 school year.  Please help spread the word!

We hope to see many of our new SJLES kindergarteners and families at our Kindergarten Sneak A Peek on 5/24/23 at 4:00. Please spread the word and complete this RSVP form if you plan to attend. 

SJLES Field Day 2023: WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!

Get ready for another fun-filled Field Day at SJLES!  Field Day will take place on Friday May 26th for students in all grades. If needed, the rain date will be on Friday, June 2nd.  The time for Field Day will be 9:15 am-3:00 pm.  

Many parent volunteers are needed to make Field Day a fun experience for everyone.  Enthusiasm is the only expertise needed to manage the activities.  Parent volunteers and staff members will run the stations. Classroom teachers will accompany classes and supervise the children. If you can contribute your time and energy for Field Day, please visit this link for sign-up genius by Thursday, May 18th. Volunteer slots are available as full day (9:15 - 3:00), half day morning (9:15 - 11:45), and half day afternoon (12:30 - 3:00) but volunteers can sign up for any block of time they are available. We need many volunteers to make our Field Day a success! When you volunteer, information will be sent home with your child the week of Field Day with your assignments and station directions. 

Please complete the following steps by Thursday, May 18th to volunteer for Field Day:

1. Complete the short volunteer confidentiality training and then fill out the form and bring it to school.

   1. volunteer-confidentiality-training.pdf 

   2. volunteer-confidentiality-certificate.pdf 

2.  Complete this short child abuse training and complete the certificate linked and bring to school.

   1. childabuse_ppt.pdf 

   2. abuse_certificate.pdf 

24th Annual SJLES Night of The Arts & Enrichment Fair - 5/16 @ 5:15

We welcome all SJLES families to our 24th Annual Night of The Arts & Enrichment Fair on Tuesday, 5/16/23. Our doors will be open between 5:15 and 8:00 to welcome SJLES students and families for a gallery walk of arts and enrichment throughout all areas of our school.

Our SJLES hallways will come alive with a beautiful art display of over 1,800 pieces from our K-5 SJLES students including our Columbia Mall Art Panel.

Our Gifted & Talented program’s Enrichment Fair will highlight projects created in Curriculum Extension Units, Instructional Seminars, and enrichment groups by our K-5 Jaguars.

During the Night of the Arts our families can enjoy the beautiful music created by our SJLES orchestra. Our Beginning Orchestra (3rd grade) takes the stage at 6:00 PM and our Advanced Orchestra (4th and 5th grade) will play at 7:15 PM. 
We hope to see you here at The Lane on 5/16/23 for this fantastic night of the arts and enrichment!

SJLES Indicators of Educational Equity Survey Update - ONE FINAL CALL!!!!!

• 55 Completed Surveys Thus Far - Thank You! 

• 66 Completed Surveys in 2022-2023 

• Goal: 100% of our SJLES Families 

As part of our school improvement process, we are asking families to provide input about their equity priorities at our school. Our families’ insights shared in this survey will help shape our School Improvement Plan for the 2022-2023 school year. 

Please use the links below to complete the HCPSS Indicators of Educational Equity Survey. We will use your input, along with other school data, to refine our school improvement plan for next year.  This survey is anonymous and available in multiple languages. If you have children at more than one school, please complete one survey per school. For additional information please visit sjles.hcpss.org.

• English survey

• Spanish survey

• Chinese survey

• Chin survey

• Korean survey

HCPSS COMMUNITY NEWS & PROGRAMS 

In alignment with Howard County Board of Education, the following announcements have been approved by the Public Information Office for distribution. To view upcoming events click: https://community-programs.hcpss.org/