Greetings EES Families,

Punxsutawney Phil has done it again! With pending winter weather, please be sure that you have signed up for HCPSS updates and tune into local news to get inclement weather and school closure updates.

Joe Corbi Fundraiser:

Don’t forget to check out your Joe Corbi’s fundraising brochure. There’s more than just pizza in there. For the first time ever, we’ve included Claire’s Gourmet Desserts! Now you can purchase Pizza Kits, Claire’s famous desserts… and cookie dough too!

Remember, you can also ask family and friends to shop online to help us reach our goal. If you haven’t already, please take a minute to register your child with a Participant code so they get credit for these sales.

It’s Easy! - Go to joecorbi.com and LOGIN - Register your child as a PARTICIPANT (you will need our group’s Organization code 5172) - Once you have your child’s Participant code you can share that code via email or on YOUR Facebook page. Our sale goes through February 24, 2025.

Black History Night:

Please join us on Friday, February 21, 2025 from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM for Black History Night at EES. If you are interested in supporting the event by providing food for families to sample or being a part of our celebration, please see the flier below in the Calendar of Events.

MESA Matters:

School closure due to inclement weather has affected students' ability to stay afterschool for MESA, impacting their progress on projects. Understanding these challenges, groups that are unable to physically demonstrate how their projects work will be given the opportunity to present and discuss their designs at the MESA Showcase. Students are allowed to take their projects home to work on them. The showcase for the 4th and 5th grade students is still scheduled for the evening of February 28, 2025, as planned. Unfortunately, the date cannot be changed due to county deadlines for competition entries. We appreciate everyone's flexibility and dedication, and we look forward to seeing the creative solutions students have developed despite the setbacks. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Jones for further information.

HCPSS & Howard County Family Supports:

HCPSS provides countless supports for students and families, and recognizes there are times when additional help is needed. Various reputable county, state and national organizations can provide assistance every day and during times of crisis. Here is a link to the HCPSS website that can be shared with families and the community with some of those resources: Family Supports and Resources

Additional services for residents in Howard County are available on the Howard County Government website.

The organizations listed are neither sponsored nor endorsed by HCPSS, and instead serve to extend resources available for students and families. Direct website access has been added to the HOT LINKS listed below.

2025-2026 School Registration:

If you have a child who is approaching Kindergarten age or will be attending Howard County Public Schools for the first time in Fall 2025, please refer to the HCPSS Enrollment page for valuable information, which can be found here.

Outdoor Recess Reminders:
Please ensure children are appropriately dressed for outdoor recess, including wearing multiple layers of loose-fitted clothing, and covering heads, hands, and faces to minimize skin exposure. It may be helpful to pack extra gloves or mittens, scarves and hats in the event gear gets wet or is misplaced. Please see General Reminders below for additional information about outdoor recess.

MAP Testing:

Winter MAP testing is currently underway, and wrapping up soon. Thank you to all of the students for their hard work showing off their skills on this assessment! We have one more grade that will be finishing up this week.

4th Grade:

Math: February 12

Cold and Flu Season:

To keep our community healthy, it’s essential to practice good hygiene by washing hands frequently with soap and water or using hand sanitizer when needed. Always cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow, and dispose of tissues properly to protect others. Regularly clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces, such as doorknobs and shared devices, to reduce the spread of germs. If you’re feeling unwell, stay home and encourage others to do the same to help prevent illness from spreading. Supporting a healthy environment also includes staying vaccinated, eating well, staying hydrated, and ensuring good ventilation in shared spaces.

Schedule Reminder:

There is no school for students on Monday, February 17, 2025. All schools and HCPSS Offices are closed in recognition of President's Day.

Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Kelley Powell, Principal

LaShonne Wright, Assistant Principal

Jonathan Swann, Assistant Principal

Read Across Elkridge Guest Reader Day is Monday, March 10, 2025!

Elkridge Elementary is celebrating Read Across America Day on Monday, March 10th. We are looking for guest readers to share their favorite children’s book with students! Please sign up below to be a guest reader based on your child's grade. Please complete the volunteer training and bring in your training certificate when you come in to read. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions.

Thanks for volunteering!

PreK 4

Kindergarten

First Grade

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

📚 Book Donations Needed for Literacy Events!📚

We're collecting new or gently used books to support our upcoming literacy events, including our exciting Reading Night in April! If you have books to donate, please drop them off at school in bags or boxes labeled with either Mrs. Cooke or Mrs. Barr's name. Your generous contributions will help foster a love for reading in our community. Thank you for your support! 📖✨

Arrival & Dismissal Reminders:

Student Arrival and Breakfast:

Students will be admitted into the building between 9:10 and 9:25 AM. Breakfast service will end promptly at 9:30 AM. Please ensure students arrive on time, especially if they plan to eat breakfast, as the kitchen doors will close at 9:30 AM.

Dismissal:

Student dismissal begins promptly at 3:55 and is completed by 4:15. Recently, we have noticed an increase in students waiting to be picked up at 4:30 and beyond. Late pickups can disrupt school operations and create unnecessary delays for staff and administration. We kindly ask for your cooperation in ensuring students are picked up on time. Thank you for helping us keep our dismissal process efficient and ensuring the safety of all our students. Please call the front office by 2:30PM if you are changing the way your child is being picked up from school. Also, only students who are car riders are dismissed from the gym. If you are walking up to meet your child at the car rider door, you will need to go to the main office to pick them up.

The Howard County Public School System welcomes visitors to our schools. To limit interruptions and distractions to teaching and learning, and to maximize safety for all:

• Anyone wishing to visit a school is asked to contact school administration or the appropriate staff member to establish a convenient time for both the visitor and the school.
• The school will arrange for an escort for the visitor.
• To avoid interrupting instruction, no students are allowed to shadow HCPSS students.
• Understandably, interactions between visitors and school staff and students will be limited.
• If a follow-up meeting with school staff is desired, the visitor will schedule it for a mutually convenient time.
  
  

Safety Protocols for Visitors

Please be aware of the following procedures for any visitor to a school/office:

• The front door is the only entrance point for all visitors.
• Please ring the bell and look into the camera.
• Be prepared to state your name and purpose for visiting.
• All visitors must walk directly into the front office with a valid photo I.D. and sign in using our LobbyGuard system.
• A visitor’s sticker will be given to visitors following the above procedures and must be worn and prominently visible.
• Any visitor in the school without a visitor sticker will be escorted directly to the front office by a staff member.
  
  

In some cases, it may be more convenient for a prospective visitor to acquire information in other ways. The following may be helpful:

• Information about the Howard County Public School System is available on the HCPSS website and the HCPSS News site.
• Visit our Schools page to find school locators (attendance areas), school profiles, bus stops and much more.

We thoroughly enjoy when parents come in to enjoy lunch with their child. We ask that you remember the following when visiting:

1. Before entering the cafeteria, please sign in at the front office to obtain a visitors pass.
   
   
2. Food may not be shared with other students in the cafeteria. Food that is brought in from outside sources (fast food lunch, cupcakes, etc. etc.) cannot be guaranteed to be allergen free. Therefore, to protect students, any food that is brought into the cafeteria may only be shared with the child you are visiting.
   
   
3. When dining with your child, please sit at a table that is either empty, or that has a few students at it.
   
   
4. When having lunch with your child, please refrain from interacting with any other children. If you need assistance, please request to speak with an administrator before you attend lunch.
   
   
5. If you choose to eat a school lunch with your child, you may not use your child's account to purchase a lunch for yourself. Adult lunches are $4.50, payable in cash (preferably exact change) at the time of purchase.

As a general reminder for our students who sit at the allergy table, it is important that the same student(s) should sit at this table everyday. If two friends are going to sit at the table with a friend who has a peanut allergy, it should be the same students. If one student brings lunch that day they will not be able to sit at the allergy/peanut table that day.

As we move into the colder months of school, we would like to send a few reminders about students and recess. Per HCPSS policy, students will be outside for recess when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature combined with the wind chill is below 20 degrees, students will have indoor recess. Please send your children prepared for outdoor recess.

Howard County Schools To Restrict Student Personal Device Access:

On Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, the Howard County Board of Education approved adjustments to Policy 8080 - Responsible Use of Technology, Digital Tools, and Social Media, and the Student Code of Conduct that is intended to reduce the use of personal devices by students during the student day. The policy changes will take effect on Monday, March 3, 2025.

While more information will be provided to students, staff and parents/guardians prior to the March 3rd implementation date, here are the highlights of the adjustments that were adopted by the Board:

• No students, PreKindergarten-12, will be permitted to use cell phones and other personal devices during the student day (first bell to last bell of the day) except for reasons detailed in a student’s IEP, 504, or health plan.
• Smart watches will be permitted to be worn to check time but may not be a distraction.
• When a personal device is used in violation of the new policy, the device will be confiscated for the remainder of the student day.
• Students may be in possession of personal devices, but they must be “away and silenced”, meaning devices are not able to be seen by either the student or staff member and are set to make no noise.
• Personal laptops may be used for instructional activities in high school when permitted by the teacher.
• A staff member on a school-sponsored field trip may permit the use of a personal technology device by a student in limited situations where capturing a picture or video may be appropriate or contacting a parent/guardian is necessary.
• School administrators and school administrators’ designees may authorize use of a personal device in rare instances such as an emergency for communication purposes.

More information will be provided related to the expectations and consequences from now through implementation, so students and parents/guardians are fully informed and prepared for policy implementation on March 3, 2025.

If you have concerns about your child's development - whether it's their speech, motor skills, social skills or learning - it's important to act now. Waiting until the summer for a referral can delay crucial support that your child may need before starting kindergarten.

Contact us today to schedule a screening. Let's work together to ensure your child has the best possible start in kindergarten!

Call 410-313-7046 or email ChildFind@hcpss.org

The After School Belonging Group will be meeting on the following days after school. Please reach out to Ms. Harmon for additional details.

February 18, 2025

March 18, 2025

April 22, 2025

May 20, 2025