SJLES Updates 2/5/2021

Fri, 02/05/2021 - 2:57pm

Greetings SJLES Families,  

Thank you for your time and consideration in completing the In-Person Commitment form for each of your students. We currently have commitments for 546 of our 671 Jaguars. If you have not already done so, please complete the two-question commitment form by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 2/10. This extended deadline gives families additional time to review the answers to hundreds of frequently asked questions about student in-person return and other student-related issues, as well as a comprehensive new Hybrid Learning document that will be shared with staff, students and families on February 5. Additional information can be found in our NEW NEWS section. 

The parent teacher conference window for scheduling math conferences will close TODAY, 2/5/21 at 10:00PM. Conferences will be held on Wednesday, 2/10 and Thursday, 2/11. In order to schedule conferences, please log on to http://www.hcpss.org/connect.  Additional details can be found in our REPEATED NEWS section. 

Report Cards go live today at 4:00. Printed report cards will not be issued this quarter. Families can view/download report cards by taking the following steps:

Thank you families, happy reading, and have a great weekend!

Sincerely,

Dan Notari

SJLES Principal

NEW NEWS 

Join Team SJLES! 

Are you interested in working with the best students and staff in the whole wide world? Are you looking to make a difference in the lives of our kids each and every day? Well, we have outstanding news to share. SJLES is currently hiring for the following positions...

Lunch/Recess Monitor 

  • This position would begin on March 1st for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays

  • The hours are 11:05am - 2:05pm 

  • The pay rate is $14.50/hour

Classroom Monitor  

  • This position would begin on March 1st  

  • The hours would be 9:00am - 3:40pm (M,W,TH,F) and 9:00 - 12:00pm on Wednesdays 

  • The pay rate is $14.50/hour

Close Adult Support 

  • This service is provided to some of our students receiving special education services 

  • Applicants will apply through an outside agency that staffs these positions at SJLES. 

    • Mrs. Redd will guide you through the process!

  • The position is a 6 hour daily position. 

  • We also frequently need substitutes for this role, so if you are looking for just occasional work please let us know! 

If you are interested in any of these positions here at SJLES please email our Assistant Principal Mrs. Redd at alexcia_redd@hcpss.org.

HCPSS 2020-2021Grading Reminders 

  • Learning Behaviors will not be graded for SY20-21.

  • Related Arts courses will be graded only twice per year, during Quarter 2 and Quarter 4.

  • Health will be graded only twice per year, during Quarter 2 and Quarter 4.

  • Parents of students receiving special education services can expect to receive their child's IEP progress report ​no later than February 12th through email. If you have any questions about your child's progress ​or what to expect as we fulfill requirements for progress reporting, ​you may contact your child's case manager.

Parent Instructional Preference Commitment Deadline Extended to February 10

HCPSS has extended the deadline for parents/guardians to make the commitment regarding sending their child to school for all or part of the week (depending on program availability) and receive virtual instruction the remainder of the week, or to have their child remain fully virtual for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. 

This extended deadline gives families additional time to review the answers to hundreds of frequently asked questions about student in-person return and other student-related issues, as well as a comprehensive new Hybrid Learning document that will be shared with staff, students and families on February 5.  

If you have not already done so, please complete the two-question commitment form in HCPSS Connect by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, February 10. 

If a parent/guardian does not complete the commitment form by the extended February 10 deadline, the system will default to select that the student will remain virtual for the remainder of the year. School administrators are available to respond to any questions or concerns. 

REMINDER Wed. 2/10 Asynchronous support sessions are cancelled

  • Just a reminder there will be NO Wednesday Asynchronous Support this week!

School Hours Starting 3/1

Starting March 1st, our SJLES school hours will be 9:05-3:35 for all students. These hours will be in place for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. We will share detailed information regarding your child’s schedule as 3/1 approaches.  

SJLES MLK Dream Makers Contest 

This month our school community celebrates Black History Month. Students in grades K-5 are invited to enter an original essay or art piece into our February 2021 MLK Dream Makers Contest! All entries should be submitted by February 18th, 2021. Entries will be judged by a panel of SJLES staff members. Participating students from each grade could win first place for one of the two categories (essay or artwork). All participating students will receive acknowledgement for their participation. For more information please see the flyer below and contact our Diversity Equity and Inclusion Liaison Mrs. Blake (natalie_blake@hcpss.org) with any questions. 

Congrats Jiya!

CONGRATULATIONS TO JIYA M. for writing the winning entry for the Howard County Young Authors' Contest for 4th Grade Short Story, Revenge of the Pencil Sharpener!  The names of all winners are posted on the Howard County Literacy Association website. We are proud of all of our students who participated and celebrate Jiya for her accomplishment! Way to go! 

2/11 Early Dismissal Schedule 

Since all students are engaged in virtual learning through the end of February, the early dismissal schedules for 2/11 (parent teacher conferences) will follow the same schedule as previous early dismissal days.  The master schedule for early dismissal is available at... 

PTA Sanitizer Drive 

The Mount Hebron cluster of PTAs are collecting additional bottles of sanitizer to supplement our already well-stocked supply. 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

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

  • 2/5 - Report Cards Issued 

  • 2/5 - #EXTREMEJAGUARPRIDE: Wear ALL your blue, yellow, and/or spirit wear to show your school spirit!

  • 2/5 -  Parent Teacher Conference scheduling window closes

  • 2/10 @ 9-11 - MAP Math for grades 1-5  

  • 2/10 - 3-Hour Early Dismissal / Parent Teacher Conferences

  • 2/10 @ 1:15-3:15 - PE Department Office Hours (Code: SJLESPE)

  • 2/10 @ 1:15-3:15 Art Department Office Hours (Code: SJLESArt)

  • 2/10 @ 5:00 - In-Person Commitment Survey Due

  • 2/10 @ 5:00-6:30 - Tech Support & Office Hours  (Code: SJLESTech)

  • 2/11 - 3-Hour Early Dismissal / Parent Teacher Conferences

  • 2/11 @ 1:15-3:15 Music Department Office Hours  (Code: SJLESMusic)

  • 2/11 @ 1:45-2:45 - Tech Support & Office Hours (Code: SJLESTech)

  • 2/11 @1:15-3:15 - Media Department Office Hours (Code: SJLESMedia)

  • 2/12 - School Closed for Students / Professional Work Day 

  • 2/15 - Schools and Offices Closed / Presidents’ Day 

  • 2/18 - SJLES MLK Dream Makers Contest Entries Due

  • 2/18 - Hip, Hip, Hooray it's the 100th Day!: We invite our jaguars to dress up like they are 100 years old to celebrate 100 days of hard work at SJLES!

  • 2/19 - Color Wars Day: Represent your grade level spirit by wearing as much of your grade levels color as you can! 

  • 2/26 - Twin Day! Twinning TWINNING! Find a friend to match with for the day

  • 3/1 - SJLES New School Day Hours Begin - 9:05-3:35 

  • 3/1 - Students identified for the 5-days-per-week program return option

  • 3/15 - Students in Pre-K, Kindergarten, and grades 1-2  return option

  • 3/29 - Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, and students attending programs at the ARL return option

REPEATED  NEWS

SJLES Winter Parent Teacher Conference Overview

Winter Conference Structure

  • Winter conferences will take place on Wednesday, 2/10 & Thursday, 2/11.

  • There is a more limited number of conference slots available and conferences will be scheduled in 15-minute blocks to allow for the maximum overall number of conferences.

  • If you have a strong understanding of your child's progress, it is not mandatory to schedule a conference. However, we are here to support and engage with all our families who wish to schedule a conference. 

  • Winter conferences can be scheduled with your child's math teacher.

    • GT math teachers are available to conference with the families of their 5th grade math students. 

  • Related Arts teachers will be offering office hours to families with general questions about programming or lessons and a limited number of individual conferences to discuss student engagement or progress concerns.

    • Related Arts Office Hours Schedule:

      • 2/10 @ 1:15-3:15 - PE Department (Code: SJLESPE)

      • 2/10 @ 1:15-3:15 - Art Department (Code: SJLESArt)

      • 2/10 @ 5:00-6:30 - Tech Support & Office Hours (Code: SJLESTech)

      • 2/11 @ 1:15-3:15 - Music Department (Code: SJLESMusic)

      • 2/11 @ 1:45-2:45 - Tech Support & Office Hours (Code: SJLESTech)

      • 2/11 @ 1:15-3:15 - Media Department (Code: SJLESMedia)

    • Families may email related arts teachers directly to schedule a conference regarding student engagement or progress concerns. 

      • Please visit our website for teacher contact information. 

Scheduling a Virtual Parent Conference

  • Scheduling opens in Synergy on Friday, 1/29 and closes on Friday, 2/5 so that teachers will have an appropriate amount of time to prepare for their conferences.

    • Any additional conferences beyond the times offered must be scheduled after the window has closed through direct contact with your child’s teacher.

  • To sign up for a Math or 5th Grade GT Math conference, please login to HCPSS Connect and click on "Conferences" in the navigation pane.

    • Here you can view your child’s teacher’s conference schedule.

  • Refer to the Quick Reference Guide  for more information and detailed steps to sign up for a conference.

Logging into Google Meet for your Conference

  • You will use your child’s HCPSS credentials to join the conference.

  • You can view the Google Meet Code for your conference in Synergy when you sign up for a conference. 

    • You will receive a reminder email with the Google Meet Code from the Synergy system a few days prior to your conference.

  • It is critical that conferences begin and end on time.

  • To prevent “overlap” of conferences, teachers will be using Google Meet room joining security features. 

    • You may have to wait to be admitted into the Google Meet room. 

  • Technology support will be available for any technology-related questions you may have. If you have any technology support questions outside of the times below please email shannon_kennedy@hcpss.org for assistance.

    • Wed. 2/10 @ 5:00-6:30 (Meet: SJLESTech)

    • Thurs. 2/11 @ 1:45-2:45 (Meet: SJLESTech) 

Family File Update

We need your help ensuring we have a complete and updated get Family File for each Jaguar.

5 Easy Steps to Complete Your Child's Family FIle... 

  1. Visit www.hcpss.org/connect.

  2. Log in to your account. 

    1. Your Username is your email address.

  3. You will see a list of options on the left side of the screen.  At the bottom of the list, choose "More Options" and then "Family File."

  4. Follow the prompts to update the information. 

    1. If it is not allowing you to click "Next" on a particular page, then there is most likely information missing. 

  5. You will receive a confirmation upon successful completion of the Family File.

If you have more than one child at SJLES, please be sure to update information for all of your children. Please remember, regardless of virtual or in-person learning, parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child. 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. Thank you for your attention to this important matter! 

Measured Academic Progress (MAP) Overview

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