The Fulton Flier

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Good morning Fulton Families,

Each year, The Council of Elders (TCOE) acknowledge and honors students of African and African-American heritage across the county. The Celebration of Academic Achievement honors African American students who are in grades 4 – 9 and have achieved the following levels of academic success during last year’s academic school year as 3rd through 8th graders:

• Grades 4 – 6: Students earned As or Bs in all areas of mathematics AND Language Arts in all 4 quarters and did not receive any Ds or Es in any of the following subjects – Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Health Education for all 4 quarters.
• Grades 7 – 9: Students earned As or Bs in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies in all 4 quarters.

Please join us in celebrating the following students for this outstanding accomplishment: Mustafa A, Christian A, Jaden A, Natalya A, Chase A., Xavier B., Zachary D., Zaiden D., Heloisa D., Giselle O., Valerie R.E., James F., Vinesh G., Carmen H., Maya Henry., Bethel K., Samuel K., Sahr-Malachi L., Aman L., Jordan L., Lydia M., Isamu M., Matteo M., Gabriel M-C., Zoe M., Chloe P., Jordan R., Joshua R., Cheyenne T., Myla W., Londyn W., Everett W., Ezra Y., Kiki A., Alyssa B., Gavin C., Hafsatou D., Mia G., Griffin G., Koa N., Brayden P., Grace T., Parker C., Rayna C., Aemilia G., and Semra S.

We are very proud of our scholars. Keep up the good work!

Warmly,

Dr. Burks, Mrs. Liwosz, & Mrs. Sillers

Way to go, Falcons! We have already collected 87 new, unwrapped toys for the Toys for Tots toy drive. We have until Wednesday, December 13th to collect our goal of 300 new, unwrapped toys. If we reach our goal, then one lucky student who donated a toy will be able to pie Mrs. Ciliberti in the face.

Check out our 1st Issue of the SY23-24 of The Falcon Gazette! Learn more about Mr. Walsh, some great How Tos, a riddle that will keep you laughing for days and even a review that may inform your Holiday baking!

Favorite Things!

December

• 12.13: Schools close 3 hours early
• 12.19 1st Grade Gingerbread Houses
• 12.20 3rd Grade Cookie Decorating
• 12.21 1st Grade Winter Party
• 12.22 5th Grade Winter Party

The HCPSS Black Student Achievement Program Saturday Math Academy Fall Session is approaching!

This year, the BSAP Saturday Math Academy will offer an in-person enrichment program for Howard County Public School System students in all levels of math for grades 3-12 based on course availability. Registration will take place online Saturday, January 6, 2024 from 9:00 a.m.- until capacity is reached. Class space is limited. Families can register by accessing the HCPSS Connect Website

For more information, please visit: https://news.hcpss.org/news-posts/2023/12/black-student-achievement-program-bsap-saturday-math-academy-spring-2024-program/

Flyers for distribution:

BSAP SMA Spring 2024 Flyer (English)

BSAP SMA Spring 2024 Flyer (Spanish)

BSAP SMA Spring 2024 Flyer (Chinese)

BSAP SMA Spring 2024 Flyer (Korean)

This week we are celebrating Inclusive Schools Week, December 4-8, with the theme of Draw Me In! FES joins the Inclusive Schools Network during this week to celebrate the progress in supporting quality inclusive education for diverse learners.

A little about the theme from Inclusive Schools Network:

As far back as the days of cave drawings, art has been a way for humans to express themselves. Many children begin to communicate through the language of art even before using words. We’ve often heard, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Our theme for Inclusive Schools Week 2023 is Draw Me In! Participating in art provides a pathway to self-discovery, and sharing art opens doors to understanding and respecting different ways of thinking.

This week is Inclusive Schools Week! Inclusive Schools Week is an annual international event celebrated the first week in December. It’s a time designated to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of teachers, administrators, students, and parents in making their schools more inclusive and, thereby, significantly contributing to the development of a more inclusive society. The Week offers a significant opportunity for educators, students and parents to engage in dialogue about inclusive education and to plan for the future. It is a time when schools and communities can begin or continue the journey toward providing a quality education to all children regardless of differences in ability, gender, ethnicity, language and health status. Your child will be learning about these topics this week! Enjoy these resources for home!

• How to Introduce Disability to your Child

• Friends of All Kinds Social Story

• What is a Disability

• Disability InfoGraphic

• Virtual Calming Room

We want to hear about what you celebrate in the month of December! Feel free to share using this form. If it is easier to just send Ms. Quinn an email-- that works as well (kaitlyn_i_quinn@hcpss.org)! We look forward to sharing your celebrations with our Fulton Family!

As we are approaching the cold winter weather, we wanted to remind you that students will still be going outside for recess. Please make sure you send your child to school with warm clothes. All clothing needs to be labeled with your child's name to prevent it from being lost.

Below you will find HCPSS criteria we consider when having outdoor activities:

• Temperature and humidity
• Wind chill
• Heat index and air quality
• Age of students
• Length of time outdoors
• Adequacy of the children’s clothing
• Condition of the playground
• Falling precipitation (more than a sprinkle or mist)
• Thunder and lightning

Generally, it is assumed that students will be outside for recess, physical education, or any other outdoor activity when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit or the heat index reading is less than 95.

We appreciate your help to ensure all our students stay healthy and safe! See details at this link.

Winter weather is here, so here are some health reminders. Dec 5-11 is National Handwashing Week. Handwashing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of colds, RSV, flu, covid, and all the other bugs out there. Please help reinforce your children good handwashing skills! Students may have lip balm at school, we see a lot of chapped and bleeding lips! Welcome to winter!

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 depend on understanding how technology works. We are excited to be kicking off this year's Hour of Code in our schools during the week of December 4-10, marking the 9th annual year of celebrating Hour of Code in HCPSS.

If your FES child is in need of a Gently used bike, please contact Mrs. Bello (FES Longterm School Counselor) at christi_bello@hcpss.org or call Fulton ES at 410-880-5957

Free BIkes 4 Kidz (FB4K) a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization geared toward helping all kids ride into a happier, healthier childhood by providing bikes to those most in need. The public donates gently used bikes, we organize scores of volunteers to clean and refurbish them, and then we give them away to children referred to us by schools, churches, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies. We're one of 17 affiliates of the national Free Bikes 4 Kidz organization. In Maryland we conduct an annual campaign during which we collect bikes until October, refurbish them in ten weeks, and give them away by the holidays.

This year, the Howard County Public School System will be administering the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to all students in 3rd Grade, only.

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 3rd grade will participate in the testing. The CogAT will be administered on Dec 6, 7, and 8. No special preparation is required. Just send your child to school ready to learn as you do daily.

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. Students’ individual scores will be reported to parents in late February/early March.

Please contact Mrs. Liwosz, Meaghan_Liwosz@HCPSS.org or Mrs. Sillers, Justine_Sillers@HCPSS.org if you have any questions about your child’s involvement with the CogAT assessment.

Phonemic Awareness: Laying the Foundation (Modified by Orton Gillingham Mama)

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate individual sounds in words. It is a critical skill that precedes reading and serves as the foundation for phonics instruction.

Engage your children in various activities to develop phonemic awareness. Check out this video for some ideas to help strengthen phonemic awareness at home using everyday materials, marbles, cotton balls, skittles, etc.

Nothing Bundt Cakes, located at 10730 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia, is offering a special incentive for students. “Books and Bundts” is a youth reading program through which students can earn a free Bundtlet and an award certificate for each month they read 400+ minutes. Students should track their progress on the attached form below and bring the completed tracker to the store to receive their sweet treat. Happy reading!