The Logan Lowdown

Doors Open: 8:55am & Dismissal 3:55pm

Upcoming dates to remember

Monday, March 31st, 2025, School will be closed to student, Professional Development Day

Hi Team Logan, it’s Mr. Parker your principal,

Spring is just around the corner, bringing with it a sense of renewal and energy. As we approach this time of growth, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on something that remains a critical focus for us: the importance of daily attendance.

For the past three years, we have emphasized how essential it is for students to attend school consistently. As you know, the State Standard for attendance is 94%. Unfortunately, our current year-to-date attendance rate stands at 91.19%, which is below the state standard. This means we have work to do, and I want to share my concern about the number of students who are missing more than 10% of the school year. Right now, that rate is 33.45%, which is far too high. When students miss more than three days per quarter, their educational growth is significantly jeopardized.

I encourage you to support your child’s educational journey by ensuring they are at school every day, on time. Consistent attendance is critical to their academic success. If you are experiencing challenges getting your child to school, please reach out to us—together, we can find solutions. Your support and involvement are key to your child’s success and well-being.

MCAP Testing Information Starting April 8th, our third, fourth, and fifth grade students will begin taking the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP). We often get the question: “What can I do to help my child prepare?” One of the things you can do is to make sure your child attends school every day and arrives on time. In addition, make sure they are getting a good night’s sleep so they’re well rested and ready to do their best. Teachers will be providing practice questions in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Math to help students familiarize themselves with the format and rigor of the MCAP assessments.

Here are a few strategies you can practice with your child at home to help them stay calm and focused during testing:

1. Arrive on time and dress comfortably.

2. Send your child to school with words of encouragement: “You will do great!” “Believe in yourself!” “Do your best and persevere!”

3. Teach your child to take deep breaths to help relax before and during the test.

4. Remind your child to read directions carefully and review all answers before selecting one.

5. Ensure your child gets a good night’s sleep the night before the test.

We will share a more detailed MCAP schedule in the coming weeks, which will include specific testing dates for each grade level.

House Day Celebration & Virtue of Patience On Friday, March 7th, we will celebrate House Day with our students and staff. During our House Meeting, we will focus on the virtue of Patience. Patience is defined as “Being calm and tolerant when difficult things happen. It means showing acceptance when you or others make mistakes.” This virtue will be especially important as our students prepare for the MCAP state

testing in April. To help reinforce this idea at home, I have attached some activities that can help foster patience in all of us.

I encourage you to talk with your child about patience and how they can practice it both at school and at home. These discussions will help them as they face challenges and engage in testing in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership. Together, we can make this a successful and rewarding spring for our students.

Talking Points

We are excited to announce that Logan Elementary is transitioning to TalkingPoints, a new communication platform that will make it easier for our school to connect with families. We understand that clear communication is essential, and TalkingPoints will allow us to bridge language barriers and ensure all families stay informed, no matter what language they speak.

Why the Change?
As many of you may know, ClassDojo is currently not accessible through the BCPS network. While some teachers may still use it on their personal phones, we will be moving forward with TalkingPoints for all school-to-home communication. TalkingPoints is an engagement platform designed specifically for multilingual families, allowing us to send messages in over 100 languages.

What is TalkingPoints?
TalkingPoints enables teachers, administrators, and staff to communicate directly with families in their preferred language, making sure every family can stay informed about their child’s education. This new system will support our efforts to connect with all families in our community, and the platform is already live, meaning school staff can start messaging families immediately.

We believe TalkingPoints will greatly enhance our communication and foster stronger partnerships between our school and our families. Please expect to receive important updates and information from us via this platform in the near future.

We recommend that you choose a way to access TalkingPoints that works best for you! You can download the free TalkingPoints for Families mobile app in the App Store or Google Play. You can also opt to receive text messages (standard text message fees apply) or you can sign up online at families.talkingpts.org/welcome.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation as we work to improve communication at Logan Elementary!

-Mr. Parker

Ready! Set! Go! Pre-K & Kindergarten registration season is approaching quickly. We will be offering appointments in the near future to start the process. Keep a lookout for more information in next month's newsletter.

From the Community School Facilitator:

Did you know that Logan Elementary has a community center? It is in the back of the building in trailer #4. If you are in need of food, cleaning supplies, books, clothing, or toiletries, please stop and see Mr. Little (Community School Facilitator). Also, we have been working with parents on job applications. Everything is completely confidential. We are extremely excited and proud of the work we do with our students, families, and our wonderful community.

-Jake Little, Community School Facilitator

Library updates~

We are so excited to see our Little Free Library being used! Thank you to all who have taken a book and left a book. Keep Reading!!

Our Book Vending Machine is getting a lot of use! We are so excited to see those who are showing their virtues throughout the building and earning coins for a free new book of their choice! Keep up the great work Logan Students!

We still have some library books that are not returned. Please check under the bed, in the car, in a bag, behind a door, and try to find them. Remember in order to borrow another book, you need to return what book/books you have. If books are unable to be found, please send a note. Thank you!

Mark your calendars! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to Logan at the end of April. The book fair will be held from Friday, April 25th to Friday, May 2nd. Our evening event will be held on Tuesday, April 29th. A flyer will be sent home when the time gets closer, so keep an eye out!

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Chamberlain

March is Reading Month!

Tips for Reading to Young, School-Age Children

Your child has started school but still needs you to read to him or her at home. Your child will do better in school, and you’ll enjoy the time spent together.

By: National Teaching Association

Here are helpful tips for reading to and with young children in school, kindergarten through third grade:

• Keep reading to your child even when he/she can read. Read books that are too difficult or long for him/her to read alone.

• Try reading books with chapters and talk about what is happening in the story. Encourage your child to make predictions about what will happen next, and connect characters or events to those in other books and stories.

• Talk with your child about reading preferences that are beginning to develop. Ask whether she likes adventure stories, mysteries, science fiction, animal stories, or stories about other children. Encourage her/him to explain the reasons for preferences.

• Talk with your child about favorite authors and help him/ her find additional books by those authors.

• Take turns reading a story with your child. Don’t interrupt to correct mistakes that do not change the meaning.

• Talk about the meaning of new words and ideas introduced in books. Help your child think of examples of new concepts.

• Talk with your child about stories using the notions of the beginning, middle, and end of the story to organize thinking and discussion.

• Ask your child to tell why a character might have taken a specific action. Ask for information from the story to support her answer.

• Enjoy yourself and have fun. The most important thing you can do to help your child become a successful reader is communicate that reading is valuable and enjoyable.

Happy Reading

-Resource Team

3rd Grade parents please be sure to check your students agenda for assignments, and homework! Please sign the agendas for confirmation. Please ensure that your student is on time, math is the first subject and attendance is imperative to success.

5th Grade parents, please make sure students are completing their daily homework and practicing their basic math facts daily for at least 15 minutes.

Thank you

-Mrs. Jackson

ISDM just wrapped up their Black History Month unit. For the month of February, we spent time learning about the contributions African Americans made to society. Ms. Lough's class focused on 4 influential black people from all different backgrounds and time periods. We learned about how brave Ruby Bridges was for being the first black student to enter an all-white school, Garrett Morgan's inventions including the stop light as well as Michael Jackson and Michael Jordan's impact in the entertainment and sports world.

Ms. Bankett's class learned about Jackie Robinson and his bravery during the 1940s and 50s, making his debut with the Dodgers, bringing an end to segregation in professional baseball. We also learned about Athea Gibson, the first African American to win a grand slam event and Mae Jemison, the first black woman to travel to space.

Ms. Merson's class did a deep dive into the history of Black History Month and spent time learning about Maggie Lena Walker and Curtis Moody, two business leaders. Ms. DiPaola's class read the book, "We Need Change!" and spent time researching Bessie Coleman, Jessie Owens and Kamala Harris.

-ISDM Team

We are excited to begin Unit Four: Exploring Museums! This month, our young learners will discover the wonders of museums and collections. We will explore different types of museums, including those that showcase dinosaurs (paleontology) and medieval times.

What We’re Learning:

• Dinosaurs & Paleontology: We will learn about different types of dinosaurs, fossils, and how paleontologists study the past.
• Medieval Times: We will explore castles, knights, and the way people lived long ago.
• Math Skills: We will focus on identifying 2D and 3D shapes, recognizing and creating patterns, and counting within 20.
• Literacy & Language: We will read fairy tales, compare and contrast real and imaginary stories, and practice stating opinions and supporting them.
• Research & Sharing: Students will practice researching and sharing facts about dinosaurs.

How You Can Support at Home:

• Visit a local museum or explore virtual museum tours online.
• Find patterns in daily life using laundry, dishes, or toys, and challenge your child to create new patterns.
• Read fairy tales together and discuss whether the story is real or imaginary.
• Practice counting objects up to 20 in everyday situations, such as while setting the table or picking up toys.

We look forward to an exciting month of learning and discovery! Thank you for your support in making learning fun and engaging for our Pre-K students.

Happy Learning

-Mrs. Kenah & Mrs. Dillon

Kindergarten is moving and grooving! In reading we are learning about America, its traditions, and important symbols and landmarks in the USA. In writing, we are learning about How-To books and trying to write our own! In math, we are exploring the difference between 2D and 3D shapes, describing and sorting shapes, and counting and comparing the number of objects. Please continue to read at home and make sure devices come back to school charged every day! Have a great March! 😊

-K team

Hi First Grade Families!

We hope you are doing well. This month in math students will continue to develop their fact fluency with addition and subtraction within 20. In reading we are focusing on the great outdoors. In science we are learning about patterns in the sky. What perfect timing with the warm weather returning!

We have a variety of activities available at recess so please do not send additional toys and balls to school. Another reminder, please make sure scholars are reading on Amira then putting their charged laptop back in their backpack. They should be bringing their device to school every day! Thank you for all your help and support.

Love

-The First grade team

Hi families!

We hope this finds you well. We are halfway through the school year. Please check with your child to see if they need any school supply replenishments. We are seeing a lot of students out of pencils, so this may be a good time to restock, if needed!

This month, in reading, students will listen to, read, and view a variety of texts and media that children will read and listen to stories about important people. A variety of fiction and nonfiction texts provides students with opportunities to identify ideas and support, text features, text organization and central idea, and setting in order to better understand unfamiliar texts.

In unit 6 of math, students will investigate two-dimensional shapes, fractions (halves and fourths), congruence, symmetry, and transformations (slides, flips, and turns) using a variety of tools and models. There is a strong emphasis on identifying, describing, constructing, drawing, comparing, contrasting, and sorting various types of triangles and quadrilaterals, as well as other shapes, throughout the unit.

The weather is warming up which means we will be heading outside for recess. Please keep all sports balls and equipment home as we will not be allowing them in school during recess. Please have your child dress appropriately. March brings warmer days, but we see chillier days, also. We want your child to be prepared for whatever the weather may bring us.

For third grade newsletter:

Hi third grade families! In math, we are beginning to start our next unit on Geometry. We will be classifying shapes and learning about their different attributes. In reading, we are currently in Module 7 learning about different community leaders and how they made a difference in their community. In writing, we are working on an opinion essay stating what we think would help improve our school. Please remind your students to charge their computers every night and bring them to school every day. This will help ensure everyone is ready for the day and limit the interruptions. Thank you!

We are wishing a joyful and peaceful Ramadan to all who celebrate, and a wonderful March to everyone! Here is what your students will be working on throughout the month.

ELA: This month, students will explore traditional stories, including tall tales, trickster tales, and legends. They will read, watch, and write about the lessons characters learn in these stories, culminating in an expository essay on considering the consequences of their actions.

Math: Students will deepen their understanding of multiplication and division by modeling problems, explaining strategies, and applying their skills in real-world contexts. They will continue to build fluency while making connections between operations.

Advanced Math: Students will wrap up their unit on multiplication and division strategies, including the standard algorithm. Then, they will begin working with fractions, using models to multiply and divide them while strengthening their understanding of these concepts.

Social Studies: Students are finishing their unit on the Earliest Americans, learning how indigenous groups adapted to their environments and developed unique cultures. They will explore how geography, resources, and traditions shaped their way of life.

Parents and Guardians,

We are getting ready to embark on our State Testing journey. We will begin with the MISA Science assessment next week and will follow with Reading and Math. It is imperative that all students are getting plenty of rest prior to these assessments, as we want to ensure our students are performing to their fullest potential.

Please reach out to your student's teacher if you have any questions!

Ms. Proefrock, Mrs. Burgess, and Mrs. Jacques