NEW NEWS
Inclusive Schools Week- The Time for Inclusion is Now!
Inclusive Schools Week is celebrated across the country this week. The goals of Inclusive Schools Week are to:
Celebrate the progress of schools in educating an increasingly diverse student population
Acknowledge the hard work and commitment of schools, families and communities in creating inclusive opportunities for all children regardless of disability, gender, ethnicity, language, health status, etc.
Encourage reflection on how culture, policies and practices in schools can promote inclusive education
Promote action to increase the capacity of schools and communities to meet the needs of all learners.
Our diversity at SJLES is our strength and our school experience is richer for students, staff, and families because of it. Throughout next week, our students will engage in learning experiences during morning meetings that recognize, celebrate, and teach about the strength that comes from our diversity and our desire for inclusion.
Principals’ Lunch Bunches
Mr. Notari, Mrs. Redd, and several special guests enjoyed our Principals’ Lunch Bunch with our Kindergarteners and 1st Graders this past Wednesday. We are looking forward to our upcoming lunch bunches with our 2nd and 3rd Graders this Wednesday at Noon and our 4th and 5th graders next week! Details below...
Virtual Lunch Bunch Schedule & Google Meet Codes:
2nd & 3rd Grade:
Wednesday, 12/9 @ 12:00 / Google Meet Code: PrincipalBunch23
4th & 5th Grade:
Wednesday, 12/16 @ 12:00 / Google Meet Code: PrincipalBunch45
Thank you SJLES!
The saying, “It takes a village,” could not be truer during these times of uncertainty.
We can’t thank you all enough for your support of the Howard County Food Bank. Because of donors like YOU we have been able to continue supporting our most in need neighbors.
In a few short weeks, the St. John’s Lane Elementary School community raised nearly $950 to support the Howard County Food Bank. THANK YOU! This holiday season it cost $50 to provide a Thanksgiving turkey and meal kit to a family …that means you all are directly responsible for making sure 19 families had a Thanksgiving meal!
Thank you for your continued support and being champions of our mission. SJLES has extended the window to donate through 12/11/2020. Please consider donating to this great cause in our school’s name. Thank you for supporting our efforts to help those in need right here in our community!
Stay healthy! We Are Stronger, Together! Thank you so much for your support!
Rachel, Community Outreach Coordinator, Community Action Council of Howard County
Preferred Name Rollout
A new process will be enabled in January 2021 to allow students to show a preferred name in Synergy, Canvas and Google. Students can follow this process.
Go to hcpss.me
Go to Synergy
Click on “Student Info” in the lower left
Look for the “Preferred First Name” field to see what is there now.
This name will show in Canvas and Google beginning the first week of January, 2021.
If you do not want this name to show or would like something else to show, contact your administrator by December 21, 2020.
If you do want this name to show, you don’t need to do anything.
Note: The preferred name will carry over from year to year unless a change is requested. Once a requested change is made, that preferred name will remain for the student’s HCPSS career unless another change is requested through the school secretary/administrator.
For students who are transgender or gender non-binary, there is an additional procedure to mask their legal name and/or gender assigned at birth, providing additional confidentiality. If you think this may apply to you, please reach out to your school counselor to discuss. Let your counselor know that you are interested in learning about the presenting name option/masking process.
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
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Access our SJLES Public Calendar at https://sjles.hcpss.org/calendar
12/9 @ 12:00 - 2nd & 3rd Grade Principal Lunch Bunch
12/11 - When I Grow Up Day: Dress up as an occupation you would like to be when you grow up
12/16 @ 12:00 -4th & 5th Grade Principal Lunch Bunch
12/18 - Sweater Day: Wear your ugliest, most interesting or favorite sweater
12/22 (UPDATED) - PJ Day: Wear your favorite pjs to celebrate the last day of school before Winter Break
12/24 - 1/1 - Winter Break - SCHOOLS CLOSED
REPEATED NEWS
Attn Grade 5 Families: 5th Grade T-Shirt Orders
Attached is a form to purchase the traditional 5th grade SJLES t-shirt. Although traditions are altered this academic year, we want to still provide the opportunity for our 5th graders to feel special. Each 5th grader's name appears on the back of the shirt and every order will also include a special SJLES face mask.
Orders must be received by December 17, 2020 and we can only accept payment by cash (exact change) or check (made payable to SJLES PTA). Since we are not able to invite you to drop off payment, you must mail payment to the school.
St. John's Lane Elementary School
Attn: 5th Grade Committee
2960 St Johns Lane
Ellicott City, MD 21042
In January (date TBD) you will receive information about a pick up day at SJLES to receive your t-shirts. All pertinent information is provided on the form.
Elementary Student Workload during Virtual Instruction
Families, particularly of primary students, have expressed concerns about the virtual elementary workload including the complexity of asynchronous lessons, the number of content areas taught, and the number of weekly asynchronous assignments. In order to support elementary students with successfully navigating during virtual instruction, the following adjustments have been made:
Students will only have asynchronous assignments in social studies, science, or health during a given week. There will not be an overlap of instruction or assignments for these content areas.
Health lessons will be taught for one week during the marking period and include two synchronous lessons and two asynchronous lessons instead of five asynchronous lessons as assigned in the first quarter.
The length and complexity of social studies, science, and health asynchronous assignments have been reduced.
Related arts asynchronous assignments have been streamlined.
What happens if I/my child has a connectivity or other issue logging on to class?
We recognize there may be times the applications HCPSS is using for virtual learning may not work as anticipated. This may be due to the nationwide increase in demand on these services or an issue with your local internet provider. HCPSS teachers will be understanding and flexible if interruptions to technology services cause delays in assignment submissions and missed virtual learning sessions.
Additionally, if there is a power outage or other situation out of the student’s control that would prevent them from completing an assignment, the student or parent/guardian should contact the teacher as soon as possible to alert them to the issue and determine if the due date can be extended. More information is available online.