The Fulton Flier

For another language, click "Translate Newsletter" tab and select the language of choice in the upper right-hand corner.

Spanish

Para otros idiomas, haga clic en Traducir Newsletter y elija el idioma que prefiera.

Korean

다른 언어의 경우 뉴스 레터 번역을 클릭하고 원하는 언어를 선택합니다.

Chinese

对于其他语言，请单击翻译新闻通讯，然后选择所需的语言。

Urdu

دوسری زبانوں کے لئے ، نیوزلیٹر کا ترجمہ کریں پر کلک کریں اور اپنی پسند کی زبان کا انتخاب کریں۔

Good morning Fulton Families,

As a reminder, all grade levels have moved to Standards Based Instruction and Reporting (SBIR) this year, this includes PreK-5th Grade. While this is not new for our primary students and families, this is the first year for our students and families in 3rd-5th grade. We encourage you to take some time to review the following resources:

• Elementary Standards Based Instruction and Reporting for Families website (watch the primary or intermediate screencast)
• www.hcpss.org/report-cards

Wishing you wave of joy,

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

As we approach the end of the first marking period, we would like to remind you of the academic resources available on the HCPSS website. You can select the content you are interested in learning more about to support your child’s learning at home. The mathematics family support center and the English/Language Arts pages by grade include activities and lessons for the major skills taught in each grade. These include how to help your child pick a “just right book” to read at home, and the compensation strategy for addition and subtraction.

Should you have further questions about your child’s progress and learning, please save the date for parent conferences the afternoon/evenings the week of November 25th.

We hope you find our Parent Reference Sheet helpful as you plan for the 24-25 school year. Our goal is that providing these dates in advance will help our families prepare and attend events more regularly this school year. A hard copy of of our Parent Reference Sheet will be sent home this Thursday. If you have more than one student at FES, it will come home with the youngest. Be sure to check your child's book bag and consider putting this on your refrigerator for a reference throughout the year.

Students who were absent on Picture Day or would like a retake will have their individual pictures taken on Friday, November 8. More information about purchasing and requesting a retake will be coming soon!

This week, make a list with your children of times when self-control is toughest. Some good ideas might be setting goals to limit screen time, responding with kindness, sticking to a bedtime, eating healthy foods, listening and following directions at school, developing an exercise program. Try to set some goals and monitor progress as you help your child practice self-control.

October

• 10/30 End of 1st Marking Period
• 10/31 No School (Professional Work Day); Deadline for FARMs Program Application

November

• 11/02 9:00 PTA's Falcon Trot & 5K Run
• 11/05 No School (Election Day)
• 11/08 Report Cards Issued
• 11/18-11:22: American Education Week
• 11/25 Early Dismissal; Parent Teacher Conferences
• 11/26 Early Dismissal; Parent Teacher Conferences
• 11/27-29 No School (Thanksgiving Holiday)

For a complete list of dates and events visit https://fes.hcpss.org/calendar

PTA Happenings

Fulton Spirit wear

Are you ready to show your school spirit? Fulton's spirit wear site is up and running. A portion of the proceeds go to the school so check out our new designs and get shopping! Spirit Wear

Become A Member

Please consider joining the PTA - Member Hub

We are SO close to our PTA goal! Let's come together and add 5 more members to the PTA. Your support will directly benefit our school, students and teachers. Every little bit helps!

Upcoming Dates

Pumpkin Patch

10/21, 10/28 • Fulton Elementary

It's that time of year! Throughout the month of October, students will be visiting their very own pumpkin patch at school. Each student will bring a pumpkin home to decorate! Fourth grade and RECC are up next!

PTA Meeting

10/22 • 7-8pm • Virtual

Save the date for our next general PTA meeting on October 22nd at 7pm. It will be virtual and Dr Burks will be presenting on The State of Fulton. Google Meet Link

Falcon Trot 5K & Fun Run

11/2 • 8:30am-12pm • Fulton Elementary

Experience an action-packed Falcon Trot 5K & Fun Run on November 2! With race day warm-ups and games by Outrageous Camp, it's going to be an event to remember. Tickets

If you need support purchasing tickets, please reach out to the school.

Falcon Trot Volunteers

The Falcon Trot is not possible without the support of our volunteers. We encourage you to consider helping for part of the event. Please use the following link to sign up: Sign Up Genius. We hope to see your whole family there!

Falcon Trot Peer-To-Peer Fundraiser

Let's soar with Falcon pride and support our school! Share the Falcon Trot peer-to-peer fundraiser with friends and family to enhance our community events, enrichment activities, teacher appreciation and campus beauty! Every dollar raised will go straight back to the school.

The amount raised will be tallied by grade. The winning grade will win an extended recess! Fundraiser Link

Falcon Trot Packet Pick Up

11/1 • 3-6pm • &Fitness

Stop by &Fitness on November 1 between 3-6pm to pick up your Falcon Trot packet. 20% of the apparel and class sales will be donated to Fulton's PTA. Happy shopping!

HCDrugFree Representative

Are you interested in being Fulton's HCDrugFree representative? Email Suzi Grompone at president@fespta.org if you believe you are the right person for the job! - Website

We are spending time this month and throughout the year reminding our staff and students about the importance of preventing and reporting bullying. The role of our parents, guardians, and families is essential in addressing this issue with our students. StopBullying.gov has many great resources for adults and children related to preventing and responding to bullying. Please remember to reach out to your child’s administrator or counseling if you’d like to discuss anything further, and any acts of bullying can be reported through this form Report an Instance of Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation | Stop Bullying | Howard County Public Schools (hcpss.org). Thank you for being our partners in this important work!

We continue learning about self-control this month as our character trait.

One of the easiest times for us to lose self-control is snack time. Some of us tend to make poor choices and eat food we know is not the healthiest for us. Unfortunately, many of us also lack self-control with how we treat others.

In this short video, Cookie Monster learns a few strategies to develop self-control: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0YDE8_jsHk. He realizes that self-control can be accomplished, even when it is difficult. When we develop self-control, not only can we make better food choices, we can also make choices that will help us with the Big 3. Self-control can help us consistently Make Smart Decisions, Treat Others Right, and Maximize Our Potential.

The Howard County Literacy Association invites students in grades 1-5 to submit their original poems and/or short stories to the annual Young Authors' Contest. Please see the attached Young Authors’ Contest Guidelines (link Guidelines PDF) for information about the rules and procedures. All entries must have a completed YAC Cover Sheet (link cover sheet PDF) sent as a PDF. Submissions may be emailed to elizabeth_woodring@hcpss.org or cassandra_menikheim@hcpss.org by December 13, 2024. 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.

Research is clear that showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic and social success, starting from kindergarten and continuing through high school. Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school, or even facing social challenges.

• Missing 10% (or about 18 days of a school year) can drastically affect a student’s academic success.
• By the 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that can indicate if a student is at risk for dropping out of high school.
• In the 9th grade, regular and high attendance predicts graduation rates better than 8th grade test scores.

Student attendance is a major point of focus for the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Starting in the 2023-2024 school year, MSDE lowered the chronic absenteeism rate from 20% to 10%, meaning that at 10%, a student should receive support and interventions to improve their absenteeism.

Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) believes that attendance is key to student success. Maryland's attendance rate represents the average daily attendance rate of students in grades 1-12, including special education students. The state's proficient standard for attendance rate is 94%, and the advanced standard is 96%."

In support of achieving Exemplary Attendance for all students, we are sharing with you a comprehensive approach to attendance supports and interventions.

• If a student has missed 5% of their monthly attendance days (as few as 1-2 days a month), parents/guardians will receive a Care and Concern Phone Call and letter from their school. This step will allow staff members to coordinate with families to determine how the student can be supported for better attendance.
• If a student has missed 10% of their monthly attendance days (this is defined as chronic absenteeism by MSDE), parents/guardians will receive a 10% Chronic Absenteeism Attendance Letter. Parents/guardians and students may be scheduled for an attendance conference. Other interventions and supports may also be used in an effort to assist the student.
• If a student has missed 15% of their monthly attendance days, in addition to the interventions and supports at 5% and 10%, these students may require an attendance support plan. Students may also be referred to the Central Attendance Team.
• If a student has missed 20% of their monthly attendance days, parents/guardians will receive a 20% Emergency Chronic Absenteeism Letter or Habitual Truancy Letter. Students may be referred to Project Attend and/or the State’s Attorney’s Office for habitual truancy.

With the collaborative effort of HCPSS parents/guardians, staff, and students, we are confident that all students can have successful attendance. This will improve student success in school and future life.

For the remainder of October, we will be celebrating Italian American Heritage Month. If you and your family are of Italian heritage, please reach out to Kaitlyn Quinn kaitlyn_i_quinn@hcpss.org so you can help us to celebrate.

We have noticed some concerning behaviors in our bathrooms, including clogged toilets. We kindly ask you to speak with your children about proper bathroom etiquette, including flushing, keeping the area clean, and respecting shared spaces. We are also spending some of our Social Emotional Learning time on this with students as well as reiterating our expectations during our morning announcements. Your support in reinforcing these expectations at home will help create a more positive environment for all students. Thank you for your cooperation!

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