The Weekly Duck
Fri, 10/04/2024 - 7:52pm
2024-2025 IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS
OCTOBER
18 - Schools Closed for Students (Professional Work Day)
30 - End of 1st Quarter
30 - PTA Trunk or Treat
31 - Schools Closed for Students (Professional Work and Development Day)
NOVEMBER
5 - Schools and Offices Closed - Election Day
8 - Q1 Report Cards Issued, 4:00 p.m. via HCPSS Connect
11 - PTA Duck Dash
15 - PTA Duck Dash Rain Date
25 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early - Parent/Teacher Conferences (in person)
26 - Schools Close 3 Hours Early - Parent/Teacher Conferences (virtual)
27 - Schools Closed for Students - Parent/Teacher Conferences
28 - Schools and Offices Closed
29 - Schools and Offices Closed
Related Arts Color Calendar Schedule
MWES NEWS
Counselors Corner
Optimistic October Calendar
Feel free to use this Action for Happiness Optimistic October calendar with with your family this month. You can print and post on your fridge, on a door, or a mirror that your family uses. Here's a child-friendly definition you can use to discuss optimism with your child(ren) "optimism is a mindset, a way of seeing and thinking about things. Optimists see the bright side of things, expecting that things will work out, and that there is always hope for good to happen." https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/optimism.html https://kids.wordsmyth.net/we/?level=2&rid=28985
Visit Action for Happiness for more information.
Free Parenting Support for Parents/Caregivers!
Learn tools to help your children handle stress and setbacks. Join the nonprofit Parent Encouragement Program's free 8-week online program for parents/caregivers of children preK to 12th grade, in English or Spanish. Learn to support your children’s mental wellness and resiliency and connect with other parents. Complete at least 5 sessions and the evaluation to receive a $50 gift card. Classes start the week of October 14, register today: tinyurl.com/2w4k2sxp
Young Authors' Contest
The Howard County Literacy Association invites students in grades 1-5 to submit their original poems and/or short stories to the annual writing contest called The Young Authors' Contest. Please see the attached Young Authors’ Contest Guidelines for information about the rules and guidelines. All entries must have a completed YAC Cover Sheet sent as a PDF. Submissions may be emailed to natalie_miskimins@hcpss.org by December 20, 2024. Please visit grade level Canvas pages for slides that explain the rules in further details. Contact Mrs, Miskimins with any questions. All Young Authors’ Contest information can be found on the HCLA website.
Howard County Literacy Association welcomes parents as members. Visit the HCLA Welcome Page for information about joining.
Health Room News
Each year, the Howard County Public School System partners with the Maryland Partnership for Prevention to bring flu immunizations into our schools for students. This year, they will also be offering the latest Covid vaccine if it is available at the time of the clinics. The clinic at Manor Woods Elementary school will be held on Friday, October 25, 2024 during school hours. If you would like your child to be vaccinated against the flu and/or Covid at this clinic, please register at this link: https://www.marylandvax.org/appointment/en/reg/9278201675
You are not required to provide your child’s insurance information. If you have any concerns about the new Covid vaccine, you are advised to speak with your child’s pediatrician. All in-school clinics will be closed to registration one week before the clinic date to allow our health room staff time to review and prepare the consents and make sure enough vaccine is ordered. If you wish to cancel your child’s appointment after then, please contact the school nurse. If you have any questions, please contact the school nurse, Laura Ruiz at 410-313-8326.
For more information about Flu Prevention please visit: https://www.howardcountymd.gov/health/seasonal-flu
Information Worth Repeating
UNIVERSAL SCREENER NOTIFICATION
In accordance with Maryland’s Ready to Read Act (2019), COMAR (2021) and the direction from the Howard County Board of Education, all Howard County Public School System students in kindergarten to grade 5 will participate in the 2024 - 2025 administration of the Amplify Class with DIBELS 8th Edition universal screener to identify potential reading difficulties during the following windows.
|
Beginning of the year (BOY) |
September 16, 2024- September 30, 2024 |
|
Middle of the year (MOY) |
January 13, 2025 - January 31, 2025 |
|
End of the year (EOY) |
May 19, 2025 - June 2, 2025 |
Amplify mClass DIBELS 8th Edition has identified students for whom mClass is not an appropriate assessment. Students for whom this is true include those with limited verbal language skills, with fluency-based speech disorders or oral apraxia, and/or who are blind and/or deaf.
Please see below for screening areas measured in each grade. Students will complete the screener in four to twelve minutes and will be screened three times this year during the windows indicated above in the chart.
How will the results be used?
Performance is an indicator of overall reading status and is not intended to be an in-depth or comprehensive measure of reading. Just like using a thermometer to take a temperature, which provides a quick indicator of general health, these quick assessments provide information about reading health on particular early reading skills.
A student’s scores on the screener give school staff information about whether or not a student is on track for grade-level reading success. School staff can quickly identify students who may require extra help. Parents and guardians will receive a home report with their child’s scores.
Some information on this parent notification is taken directly from the Ready to Read Act and COMAR, while other content was summarized to reflect HCPSS procedures.
COMAR 13A.03.08 Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties June 2021.pdf
HCPSS News
Families of children birth-5 with an IFSP or IEP:
OEIS will be hosting a free Parent Café for parents of children birth-5 with an IFSP or IEP on October 9th from 6:00-8:00 PM. Dinner & childcare will be provided; registration is required. During a Parent Café parents and caregivers of children birth-5 engage in open and honest conversations about the success and struggles of parenting. Conversations focus on building capacity, empowering parents, & strengthening families. Please see this Parent Cafe flier.pdf for additional information. Any questions about the event can be directed to EISFamily@hcpss.org Thank you!
HCPSS Student Code of Conduct
The Howard County Public School System is committed to providing a safe, engaging and supportive learning environment where all policies are enforced fairly and consistently. HCPSS policies and regulations emphasize instruction and rehabilitation rather than punishment and are designed to foster and reward appropriate behavior and keep students connected to school so they can graduate college and career ready. Please read and review the HCPSS student code of conduct with your child(ren) before the school year begins: HCPSS Student Code Of Conduct
HCPSS Student & Parent Handbook
The Student & Parent Handbook can be found online and outlines districtwide practices and policies related to parents and students, including the Student Code of Conduct, school procedures, student responsibilities and more.
Elementary Student Cell-Phone Usage Policy
Families are reminded that students must abide by Board of Education Policy 8080 Responsible Use of Technology, Digital Tools, and Social Media, and specifically Standard E. Student Use-Technology, which states that “HCPSS permits students to bring personal technology devices to school, according to the following rules:
-
Elementary Schools – Students will keep personal technology devices in backpacks during the school day, unless otherwise authorized by school administrators or instructional staff.
HCPSS NEWS
Click here for the latest updated hcpss news.