NEW NEWS
Original Works Coming Home TODAY!
Thank you for supporting SJLES through your love for Original Works! Your treasures have arrived at school and will be delivered to classrooms on Wednesday, Dec 7! We will ask teachers to send them home today! Please check your Jaguars’ backpack today so the treasures don't stay in there longer than necessary! Thank you again for your support!
TCOE Community Academy on Social Emotional Well-Being
Join HCPSS and the Council of Elders (TCOE) virtually on December 10 from 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. for an engaging session regarding student well-being. HCPSS staff will provide information about mental health resources within the school system and representatives from the National Alliance on Mental Illness will share how to identify behaviors that affect your child’s social/emotional well-being and strategies to openly discuss suicide prevention and mental health awareness (such as depression and anxiety). This session is for families of students at the elementary, middle, or high level. To register, please complete the registration form linked here. Please see the flier for more information: TCOE Social Emotional Well-Being.
Snacks Available in Cafeteria
Snacks are now available to purchase for students in 1st-5th grade. Children who buy lunch from the cafeteria and children who bring their lunch from home will be able to purchase a snack after all lunches are served. Students will only be permitted to purchase one snack per day.
Below is a list of the snacks that are available to purchase. Please make sure you have a conversation with your child about whether or not you are comfortable with them purchasing snacks.
Cookies - 50￠
Pretzels - 75￠
Sidekicks Smoothie Cup - 75￠
Rice Krispie Treat - $1.00
Federal Impact Aid Forms due by 12/12
Only a few days remain for eligible parents/guardians to complete the Impact Aid section of Family File. Parents/guardians who work on a federal property in Maryland and/or are a member of a uniformed service qualify HCPSS to receive additional federal funding. The Federal Impact Aid programs provide financial assistance to school districts that enroll federally connected children. In HCPSS, Impact Aid supplements the operating budget to enhance the teaching and learning that takes place in Howard County classrooms.
In order to qualify for funding, parents who identified themselves in Family File as working on federal property in Maryland or as active duty military should log in via HCPSS Connect to complete the Impact Aid form by confirming the information and providing a digital signature before December 12. Please see the directions below.
If you did not complete Family File this year and work on federal property in Maryland or are active duty military, please log in and complete the Federal Impact Aid section of Family File prior to completing the Impact Aid form.
If you submitted a form before September 30, it must be redone.
In instances where families are federally connected both by work location and membership in the uniformed services, the digital signature only needs to be completed by one parent. To complete your online Impact Aid form:
Log in to HCPSS Connect using parent/guardian credentials
Select More Options from the left navigation
Select Federal Impact Aid from the middle
The family’s federally connected information along with the digital signature will qualify the school system for applicable funding.
Learn more about the Impact Aid program and view answers to frequently asked questions online.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Click here to access/subscribe to the updated HCPSS Calendar
Click here to access the HCPSS Related Arts Color Day Schedule
12/5-12/9: Inclusive Schools Week
12/5-12/11: 8th Annual HCPSS Hour of Code
12/9 - Celebrate our SJLES Pride and wear your Spirit Wear or school colors
12/12 @ 6:00 PM - Council of Elders Celebration
12/13 @ 7:00 PM - Band Winter Concert
12/14 - Professional Work and Wellness Day: Schools Close 3 Hours Early
SJLES Dismissal Begins at 12:20
12/14 @ 8:00 PM - Virtual PTA Meeting
12/15 @ 7:00 PM - Band Winter Concert (Snow Date)
12/16 - Sweater Day: Wear your ugliest, most interesting, or favorite sweater
12/23 PJ Day: Wear your favorite PJs to celebrate our final day before winter break
12/23 - PTA Cultural Arts: Prismatic Magic Laser Light Show
12/24 - 1/2 - Winter Break
1/3 - School Reopens
1/6 - Hat Day: Show off your favorite hat to your class!
1/9 - 1/27 - PTA Read-A-Thon
1/11 @ 8:00 - PTA Meeting on Zoom
Principal’s Report Focus: SJLES Family Feedback Survey Results
1/12 @ 6:00 PM - Read-A-Thon’s Cozy Reading Night
1/13 - #JaguarPride: Celebrate our SJLES pride & wear your spirit wear or school colors
1/13 @ 9:00 AM - Coffee & Conversation with Administration
RSVP by emailing Mrs. Newberry at kathleen_newberry@hcpss.org
1/16 - All HCPSS Schools and Offices Closed
1/17 @ 6:00 PM - Orchestra Winter Concert
1/18 - Professional Work & Wellness Day: Schools Close 3 Hours Early /12:20 Dismissal
1/18 @ 8:00 - Read-A-Thon’s Cozy Reading Night - SNOW DATE
1/20 - End of 2nd Marking Period
1/20 - Ocean of Blue Day - Wear as much blue as you can to celebrate Kindness Month
1/23 - All HCPSS Schools Closed for Students: Professional Work Day
1/24 @ 6:00 - Orchestra Winter Concert - New SNOW DATE
1/27 - Inside Out Day - Wear your clothes inside out!
1/30 - Report Cards Issued
REPEATED NEWS
Family Feedback Engagement Opportunities
Thank you to our families who completed our SJLES Family Feedback Survey. Your insights are greatly appreciated and very helpful. We will provide differentiated opportunities to share and discuss the results of the survey with our community in January.
During the Principal’s Report portion of the monthly PTA Zoom Meeting on January 11th at 8:00 PM, Mr. Notari will present a condensed version of the survey results and facilitate a conversation with our attending families regarding the current state of our school.
On Friday, January 13th at 9:00 AM, we will host an in-person Coffee and Conversation with Administration here at SJLES to discuss the results and insights to our school’s current state and practices in greater detail. Thank you to our PTA for providing light refreshments. If you are interested in attending please RSVP by emailing our principal’s secretary Mrs. Newberry at kathleen_newberry@hcpss.org. An RSVP is not necessary but will allow us to purchase the just right amount of refreshments for our attendees.
Inclusive Schools Week
During the week of December 5th, students and staff will be celebrating Inclusive Schools Week here at SJLES! The purpose of Inclusive Schools Week is to celebrate the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population. The Week also provides an important opportunity to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children. This year's theme is "Unity Within Our Community" and we encourage you to ask your child about the activities happening at school!
Hour of Code
SJLES would like to announce our participation in Hour of Code, December 5-11, during Computer Science Education Week. We live in a world surrounded by technology, and we know that whatever field our students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly hinge on understanding how technology works. Computing makes up two-thirds of the projected new jobs in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Our participation in The Hour of Code is a statement that St. John’s Lane is ready to teach these foundational 21st century skills. We encourage you to visit Code.org for more information and activities.
For more information feel free to contact Ms. Kennedy or Ms. Jean-Louis – shannon_kennedy@hcpss.org or esther_jean-louis@hcpss.org.
Upcoming HCPSS Calendar Reminders
12/14 - Professional Work and Wellness Day: Schools Close 3 Hours Early
SJLES Dismissal Begins at 12:20
12/24 - 1/2 - Winter Break
SJLES CogAT TESTING INFORMATION
This year, the Howard County Public School System will be administering the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to all students in grades 3 and 5. The CogAT is a group-administered abilities test that measures students’ reasoning abilities, which they develop through in-school and out-of-school experiences. It is not designed to test a student’s academic achievement, but their potential.
The test is made of three batteries – Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal. Each battery takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. The CogAT helps educators understand a student’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses and assists with adapting instruction to meet the needs and abilities of each student.
All students in Grades 3 and 5 will participate in the testing. The CogAT will be administered at SJLES on the following dates:
3rd grade: Dec 6, 7
5th Grade: Dec 12, 13, 15
Make-up testing will be conducted on December 19.
The Gifted and Talented Education Program will use the data from the CogAT as one criterion for placement into fourth grade Gifted/Talented mathematics classes and middle school Gifted/Talented content classes. Students’ individual scores will be reported to parents in late February/early March.
No special preparation is required. Just send your child to school ready to learn as you do daily. Please contact Erin Coleman if you have any questions about your child’s involvement with the CogAT assessment.
COMMUNITY NEWS & PROGRAMS
Please click here to visit the Community News and Programs page for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.