Dear Elkridge Family,

As we move through our days, let’s remember the power of kindness. A simple smile, a kind word, or a small act of generosity can brighten someone’s day more than we realize. Let’s challenge ourselves to not only be kind to others but also to participate in acts of kindness that uplift our school community. And just as important—be kind to yourself!

Give yourself grace, celebrate your efforts, and take moments to recharge. Together, let’s make kindness the heart of Elkridge!

Honor Roll Sock Hop:

The Honor Roll Sock Hop was a huge success! Students had a great time showing off their socks and dancing around and enjoying tunes. We want to encourage all of our students to continue to work hard so we can have an even bigger celebration next time!

Orchestra Concert:

A huge thank you to Ms. Taschenberger for her hard work in coordinating our Winter Orchestra Concert. This morning, students showed off their excellent performance skills. Thank you to all of the staff members who support these events. We appreciate you! We look forward to seeing everyone at our Spring Concert.

Cell Phone Policy Update:
On January 30, 2025, the Board of Education approved adjustments to Policy 8080 - Responsible Use of Technology, Digital Tools, and Social Media that changes the ability for students to use personal devices during the school day. The Board approved the following changes related to the use of personal devices by students at school:

• No students, PreKindergarten-12, will be permitted to use cell phones and other personal technology devices during the student day (first bell to last bell of the day or posted school hours) except for reasons detailed in a student’s IEP, 504, or health plan. Under the prior version of the policy, elementary and middle school students were not permitted to use personal devices during the school day at any time. For high school students, this policy removes access to personal device in between classes and at lunch. For all grade levels, the addition of consequences for violating the policy is new.
  
  

• When a personal device is used in violation of the new policy, the device will be confiscated for the remainder of the student day. Following the first violation, the student may retrieve the device at the end of the student day. For all subsequent violations, a parent/guardian must retrieve the device from the school.
  
  
• A device that is confiscated during the final period of the student day will be confiscated for the entire next student day. The student may retrieve the device at the end of the day it was originally confiscated to take home but must provide it to the front office upon arrival on the next 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. Additionally, devices may not be a distraction.
  
  
• Smart watches will be permitted to be worn to check time but may not be a distraction.
  
  
• 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.
  
  

These new expectations will take effect on Monday, March 3, 2025. The complete changes and expectationsLinks to an external site. may be found online. Please take time to review these new expectations with your student to ensure they do not violate the new policy.

Our school will adhere strictly to the policy with hopes that the elimination of the distractions that personal devices cause use will result in healthier and more productive learning and social environments during the school day. More information will be shared before the implementation date.

Thank you for your collaboration in the successful implementation of these changes.

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.

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! Due to the school closure on Wednesday, February 12, 4th Grade Math MAP will take place on Wednesday, February 19.

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. The next edition of the Elkster will be sent home on Monday, February 24, 2025.

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.

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.

March 18, 2025

April 22, 2025

May 20, 2025

AAU Tryouts are coming March 3 - 6! We are a year round program with intense training, mentorship opportunities, and winning mentality. This program is looking for student-athletes that are serious about the game of basketball and have the skills to play on a competitive level. Complete the registration form and we will see you there!

LIFE Elite Athletics is an organization that caters to the youth and young adults. We foster the development of leadership qualities through a commitment to education and community involvement. We aim to provide our constituents with versatile experiences through scholastic empowerment, athletic conditioning, and cultural exposure. We believe in guiding our youth to Seeing Obstacles as Lessons Understanding Trials Induce Opportunities for Next Steps (SOLUTIONS) mentality.

We create opportunities for youth and young adults to achieve their dreams by providing them with resources, instilling work ethic, and building the confidence needed to be successful adults.

Teaching the game of basketball is an avenue used to achieve said goals. We believe in using basketball as a tool to prepare the players for real life; by instilling discipline, dedication, teamwork, leadership to name a few. In addition, we work on the fundamentals of basketball and enhance the basketball IQ of each player. Lastly, we aim to win, to build confidence in our kids, and learn from losses.