SJLES Updates 8/28/2020
Greetings SJLES Families! There are a few new updates to share and several important repeated news items I want to ensure you are aware of as we approach our Virtual Orientations and the first day of school. I also wanted to uplift Dr. Martirano's message from last night regarding Gov. Hogan's press conference yesterday afternoon. Here is Dr. Martirano's message to our community in case you missed it...
We have received questions from the community related to today’s press conference by the Governor and State Superintendent of Schools. The Howard County Board is Education voted to start virtually for the first semester and implement in person supports for small groups of students with plans to reevaluate on October 22 for the second semester. As we have done since the start of the pandemic, the Board and I will continue to take all input by MSDE into consideration when making decisions. We will review this new information and guidance as soon as the details are provided to superintendents.
This does not impact the start of school on September 8 or any of the preparations that have already been communicated to families.
Hope the day is off to great start and have a wonderful weekend, SJLES!
Sincerely,
Dan Notari
SJLES Principal
NEW NEWS
Student Schedules, Building Relationships, & Ensuring a Smooth Start!
Families, PLEASE remember to update your Family File information today! Please see the Family File information below as it is very important that parents update their child’s information ASAP. Listed below are important dates throughout the month of September which outline how we are planning to share teacher and schedule information, ensure a smooth start, and build connections with our students and community.
9/1 - Student schedules will be available for viewing in Synergy
9/3 - Homeroom teachers will send welcome emails to students and families with Virtual Orientations
9/3 @ 6:30 - PTA Meeting in SJLES Parking Lot
9/4 - Virtual Orientations and New Student & Family Welcome
9/5 - Parents/guardians can log in to HCPSS Connect to view teachers & schedules
9/8 - First Day of School
9/9-9/18 - Homeroom Teacher Calls of Care to Families Calls of Care will serve as an opportunity for teachers to share celebrations and check-in with our families to determine how we can best be of service to each individual family. For privacy reasons, Calls of Care will likely come from an unknown/blocked number.
9/22-9/24 - Back to School Nights
9/30 @ 6:30 - Virtual Coffee & Conversation With Administration
Canvas Student Orientation Video
Canvas orientation videos, along with student and family guides, are now available for you to explore as we prepare for the 2020-2021 school year. Please take some time to review prior to September 8th. There are 2 parts to the video. Part 1 reviews the global navigation settings and Part 2 reviews the course structure. Translations of the videos will be available soon. Please ensure that your student is logged in with his/her login credentials and visit https://hcpss.instructure.com/courses/9495.
FAMILY FILE REMINDER!
Families, as of today, only 51% of SJLES Family Files are complete! HCPSS utilizes Family File for parents/guardians to complete emergency information. Your Family File must be completed and updated in order for you to access the names of your child’s teachers prior to the start of the school year. Regardless of virtual or in-person learning, parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child. Parents/guardians can complete Family File by logging in to HCPSS Connect selecting the More Options tab on the left and then selecting Family File in the center column.
Once logged in, parents/guardians will be asked to update or provide the following information:
Student Information
Parent/Guardian Contact
Emergency Contacts
Medical Information
Arrival/Dismissal Procedures (for when in-person classes/supports resume)
Photo Approval
Data Confidentiality
PTA/PTSA Directory
Changes of address may not be made through Family File. If you have recently moved, please contact Mrs. Wolfrey at robin_wolfrey@hcpss.org as soon as possible.
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.
Get Ready for 2020-2021!
The first day of school is fast approaching. Complete details on the school year, including information on Google Meet expectations, attendance and more can be found online. Visit our SJLES or HCPSS website for what you need to know to prepare for the 2020-2021 school year.
Band & Orchestra Introduction
Hi Jaguars! My name is Ms. Kalivretenos and I am the band and orchestra teacher at St. John’s Lane. I can’t wait to welcome back all of our returning students and meet our new band and orchestra students! Students in 4th and 5th grade can join the band or orchestra, and students in 3rd grade can join the orchestra. We are going to have an exciting year making music and learning our instruments. I hope you’ll join us! Registration forms and more information will be coming to you soon.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
All dates will be posted on our SJLES Public Calendar.
8/31 - Waverly Elementary School Collection & Distribution of Student Materials
9/1 - Student schedules will be available for viewing in Synergy
9/2 - SJLES Collection & Distribution of Student Materials
9:00 - 9:45 - Last names that begin with A - C
9:45- 10:30 - Last names that begin with D - F
10:30 - 11:15 - Last names that begin with G - J
11:15 - 12:00 - Last names that begin with K - M
1:00 - 1:45 - Last names that begin with N - Q
1:45 - 2:30 - Last names that begin with R - Z
2:30 - 3:15 - Additional pickup window for all families A-Z
9/3 - SJLES Collection & Distribution of Student Materials Rain Date
9/3 - Welcome email from Homeroom Teachers with orientation link
9/3 @ 6:30 - PTA Meeting
9/4 - Student & Family Orientations
8:30-9:30 5th Grade
9:30-10:30 4th Grade
10:30-11:30 3rd Grade
11:30-12:30 2nd Grade
12:30-1:30 1st Grade
1:30-2:30 Kindergarten
2:45-3:45 New Family Welcome with Administration & School Leaders
9/5 - All parents/guardians can log in to HCPSS Connect to view teachers & schedules
9/7 - Labor Day
9/8 - First Day of Elementary School for Students
9/9-9/18 - Homeroom Teachers Calls of Care to Families
9/22 @ 6:30 - K-2 Virtual Back to School Night
9/23 @ 6:30 - 3-5 Virtual Back to School Night
9/24 @ 6:30 - Gifted & Talented Virtual Back to School Night
9/30 @ 6:30 - Virtual Coffee & Conversation With Administration
REPEATED NEWS
HCPSS Reopening Plan
The HCPSS Reopening Plan is still in draft form at this time, pending MSDE approval. Appendix D provides proposed schedules for each grade level, as you consider the logistics of distance learning for your family.
Staffing Updates & Assignments
Each year brings changes to staffing and assignments. This year, our changes are a result of decreased enrollment and therefore staffing due to redistricting, retirements, and former staff members transferring to new assignments and opportunities. Please visit our website at https://sjles.hcpss.org/school-staff to access our 2020-2021 SJLES staff roster.
Please give our newest staff members a warm SJLES welcome!
Mrs. Vicky Pauller, .5 Media/. 5 Technology Teacher - Mrs. Pauller returns to HCPSS after spending 7 years home with her two children. Mrs. Pauller had previously taught computer science at Centennial High School and mathematics at Hammond High School before pursuing certifications for her new role. Before teaching, she worked as a software engineer for 6 years. Mrs. Pauller brings some great experience to our staff and we are glad to have her join our SJLES family!
Mr. Jack Kline, Custodian - Mr. Kline has done a great job since coming aboard on July 1st after transferring from River Hill High School. He and the custodial team have done an outstanding job getting our building in excellent condition. Mr. Kline has the not-so-easy job of replacing our beloved Mr. Carroll, but couldn’t be off to a better start!
Please join us in sending best wishes to our staff members who got married since you last saw them...
Ms. Becky Taylor, Grade 2 Teacher, is now Mrs. Care.
Ms. Christina Alms, Grade 2 Teacher, is now Mrs. Harold.
Ms. Andrea Nelson, Special Education Teacher, is now Mrs. Jaffey.
Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Diana McKinney and her husband Dale on the birth of their daughter Delanie Hope McKinney! Mrs. McKinney will be on maternity leave through October 2nd to care for Delanie. We are happy to share that Mrs. Revathi Miriyala will serve as her long term substitute teacher during this time. Mrs. Miriyala has served our school as a long term substitute teacher in various grades over the past three school years and we are very grateful to her for accepting this role!
We would like to thank the following staff members for their service to our SJLES and wish them well as they begin a new chapter in their lives.
Mrs. Michelle Brown, Media Specialist, transfer to Mt. Hebron High School
Mr. Gerald Carroll, Custodian, retired
Mrs. Deb Capo, .5 Kindergarten Paraeducator, surplus to Triadelphia Ridge Elementary
Mrs. Sara Cox, GT Teacher, transfer to Deep Run Elementary
Mrs. Maxine Drazenovic, .4 ESOL Teacher, surplus to Longfellow Elementary
Ms. Jayme Grohe, 1st Grade Teacher, surplus to Ducketts Lane Elementary
Ms. Kasey John, 2nd Grade Teacher, surplus to Waterloo Elementary
Mrs. Kelly Kendrick, 3rd Grade Teacher, surplus to Thunder Hill Elementary
Mr. Jim Kroll, Orchestra Teacher, retired
Mr. Zachary Mitchell, .4 Physical Education Teacher, surplus
Mrs. Stacie Yakowenko, Teachers’ Secretary, retired
Student Materials Collection & Distribution
INCLUDING CHROMEBOOKS & INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS - 9/2/2020
Please save the date for our SJLES Student Materials Collection and Distribution Day on Wednesday, 9/2/2020. On this date, we will distribute items including Chromebooks, instructional materials, class pictures, yearbooks, and students’ personal items that were left behind last school year. Additionally, 9/2 will provide an opportunity to return borrowed items such as SJLES media books, instruments, safety belts, and teacher classroom library books.
SJLES families, please plan to visit SJLES to pick up instructional items your child will need throughout the semester including a Chromebook and instructional materials. All elementary students will be provided and are required to use an HCPSS Chromebook for instruction. For information about the benefits of having a HCPSS Chromebook please click on the link below…
https://help.hcpss.org/technology/chromebook-benefits/
We understand that not all family schedules will match with our designated windows, but please try to arrive during your designated time frame to assist us with traffic overflow onto St. John’s Lane. Families can choose to stop by during the additional window of 2:30-3:15 to pick up materials or simply arrive at a time that works best for you, if needed. The schedule is below...
9:00 - 9:45 - Last names that begin with A - C
9:45- 10:30 - Last names that begin with D - F
10:30 - 11:15 - Last names that begin with G - J
11:15 - 12:00 - Last names that begin with K - M
1:00 - 1:45 - Last names that begin with N - Q
1:45 - 2:30 - Last names that begin with R - Z
2:30 - 3:15 - Additional pickup window for all families A-Z
Rain Date is 9/3/2020
9/2 Process & Procedures:
Items to be returned to SJLES must be placed in a plastic/shopping/grocery bag or box labeled with the student’s first and last name.
Please note that the bag/box will not be returned.
Please place a paper with your students’ last name, last year’s grade level(s) and homeroom teacher(s) on the passenger side of your dashboard.
New families please write students’ full name and “NEW GRADE #” on the paper.
Students and families should remain in their cars throughout this process.
Staff, students, and family members must wear a mask while on school grounds and remain at least 6 feet apart at all times.
Upon entering the bus loop entrance please…
follow the directions of staff as you enter the bus loop
roll down your passenger window
ensure the paper with names, former grade levels, and homeroom teachers is clearly visible
make space on your passenger seat for items
At each zone, staff members will provide student belongings/collect school items.
Each vehicle will travel through an admin check, distribution zone and collection zone during this process as shown below…