Clemens Crossing Cougar Comments

Jaime Gittleson, Assistant Principal

Website: cces.hcpss.org
Location: 10320 Quarterstaff Road, Columbia, MD, United States
Phone: 410-313-6866
Facebook: facebook.com/ClemensCrossingElementary
Twitter: @hcpss_cces

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January

• 27 - February Math conference scheduling opens at 8:00 a.m.
• 27 - The Great Kindness Challenge Spirit day #4 - Workout Day
• 31 - Report Cards issued in HCPSS Connect (Synergy Parent VUE)

February

• 1 - Black History Month begins
• 3 - Parent/Teacher Conference Scheduling Window Closes 4:00 p.m.
• 8 - PTA Meeting
• 9 - Schools close 3 hours early, 12:45 p.m. (Math Parent-teacher Conferences)
• 10 - Schools close 3 hours early, 12:45 p.m. (Math Parent-teacher Conferences)
• 20 - No School - Presidents Day
• 23 - CCES Parent University Session 1
• 28 - PTA Restaurant Night - Chick-fil-a Johns Hopkins Road

To subscribe to the CCES calendar on your smartphone, electronic device, or email system use the calendar ID sqspkjkbr6v6arss44js3n21eg@group.calendar.google.com.

February Parent-Teacher Conferences

Synergy ParentVue opens at 8:00 a.m. on 1/27, so you can schedule your February math parent-teacher conference. Please refer to the directions below.

Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program

The federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires states to assess students annually in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school in ELA and mathematics. Maryland administers the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) to comply with the federal ESSA. The assessment measures mastery of Maryland content standards to ensure that all students progress and receive the necessary support for remediation, acceleration, and enrichment. The newly designed MCAP ELA and mathematics assessments were administered to Maryland students for the first time in Spring 2022. They included four student performance levels: distinguished learner, proficient learner, developing learner, and beginning learner. Both distinguished and proficient learners are considered proficient.

All Maryland students who participated in the Spring 2022 assessments will soon receive an Individual Student Report (ISR). This report enables educators and families to understand better a student’s proficiency on Maryland content standards individually and in comparison to peers in their school, county, and state. The 2021-2022 assessment results will be published on the Maryland Report Card website, including the disaggregation of data by LEA and student groups. Individual student data has been provided to each school system, and printed student reports will be sent home in March. Results in the future will be made available more expeditiously following the completion of the administration of the assessments.

Measures that Matter

The end of the second quarter provided our school with a wide variety of data and information to help us inform our progress and needs as a school. Please find the Measures that Matter for the 2nd quarter below. New information includes MCAP results from the 21-22 school year, our Kindergarten Readiness Assessment results, quarterly attendance, and PBIS updates.

Parent-Teacher Conferences February 9th & 10th

• Due to the limited number of available time slots, you may choose to schedule a conference if you have a concern or question.
• Scheduling opens in Synergy ParentVue on Friday, January 27th and closes on Friday, February 3rd.
• Grades 1 - 5: schedule with your child’s Math teacher
  
• Kindergarten: schedule with your child’s homeroom teacher for a Math conference.
• Click here for directions to schedule a conference.
• If you would like to conference with a Related Arts teacher, please email the teacher to set up a conference.

Conference Days/Times

Conferences will be in person between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Virtual Conferences will take place after 4:00 p.m.

Please note that teachers have flexibility in determining schedules. Not all teachers will be available at all times listed below:

• Thursday, February. 9th 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm or 7:00 pm
• Friday, February 10th 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
  
• Conferences are 15 minutes.
  
  

Logging onto Google Meet for your Conference

• You will use your child’s HCPSS credentials to join the conference.
• To prevent “overlap” of conferences, teachers will use Google Meet room joining security features. You may have to wait to be admitted into the Google Meet room.
• Google Meet Codes: You will see the meeting code for your conference in Synergy when you sign up for a conference. You will receive a reminder email with the room code from the Synergy system a few days before your conference.

Online enrollment requests for currently enrolled HCPSS students will open Wednesday, February 1 at 6 p.m. for the following programs:

• BSAP Summer Institute (Entering Grades K-9)
• Gifted and Talented Summer Institutes for Talent Development (Entering Grades 1-8)
• Summer Math Scholars Program (Entering Grades 6-8)

NOTE: Invitations for eligible HCPSS students for Academic Intervention and Extended School Year Special Education programs will come directly from the school or special education team in the spring.

Enrollment requests can be made by a parent, guardian, school counselor or school achievement liaison. Please carefully review the course descriptions, dates, times and locations in the program course lists before submitting an enrollment request.

Enrollment requests are made via HCPSS Connect Synergy. Directions are available online.

For more information visit the HCPSS website.

Clemens Crossing will administer the Measured Academic Progress (MAP) assessment to all students in 1st through 5th grades in Reading and Math between January 24 - February 24th. The data from the MAP assessment will help schools and teachers measure your student’s academic progress. The MAP test does not affect grades and the difficulty adjusts depending on how your child responds. It is normal for students to only answer about half the questions correctly. Please check with students to see if they need headphones to use at school. The HCPSS website contains detailed information about MAP testing here. If you have questions about MAP testing, please contact Jaime Gittleson at Jaime_Gittleson@hcpss.org.

The Road to Kindergarten information sessions will be held for families of children who will begin kindergarten in Fall 2023.

My name is Mr. Allen, and I am a 4th-grade teacher at Clemens Crossing! I will host an after-school program for you to attend called Parent University. Parent University is designed to help you, the parent, help your child at Clemens Crossing and in their time in the Howard County Public School System. During the sessions, I will be able to provide you with resources that will allow your child to receive the best education possible here at Clemens Crossing. These sessions will take place in February and March in the Clemens Crossing media center.

Session 1 (February 23rd, 2023, 7 pm-8 pm) - Overview of K-5 Curriculum with a preview of what to expect in middle and high school - This session will allow you to prepare for what is to come throughout your child's experience at HCPSS.

Session 2 (March 9th, 2023, 7 pm-8 pm) - Navigate Canvas and the many online resources - This session will provide you with an opportunity to explore the available resources our county has available for you to use.

Session 3 (March 16th, 2023, 7 pm-8 pm) - Digging Deeper into Math Standards - This session will allow you to take a look at the math common core standards that your child is and will be working on.

Session 4 (March 23rd, 2023, 7 pm-8 pm)- The Importance of English Language Arts - This session will develop your understanding of the English Language Arts common core standards that your child is and will be working on.

Don’t miss these sessions, as they will be essential to giving your child the best possible education. Please fill out this survey to RSVP for the sessions. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at dale_allen@hcpss.org.

Thank you so much!

Mr. Allen

Abrakadoodle Art on Tuesdays starting February 7th

Last call to join Abrakadoodle Art-winter session. Join as we explore some of the most popular Contemporary Artists working today. Balloon Dogs, unique landscapes, and more are just some of the projects we’ll be doing! Let’s explore how Contemporary Artists change the way people think about art. Register today!- www.abrakadoodle.com/md04

Chess on Tuesdays starting January 31

Learn chess with Magnus Academy (formerly Silver Knights), world champion Magnus Carlsen’s academy! We’ve taught 100,000 children to play, including state & national champions, but most students are beginners looking to learn a new skill and have FUN. Class time is divided between lessons and practice games. Lessons range from the basic rules to advanced tournament strategies.

Students will have the opportunity to play in tournaments (in-person and online) outside of club time. This in-person club includes free online extras, including weekly practice tournaments and an event with world champion Magnus Carlsen or Judit Polgar, the best female chess player of all time. All chess supplies will be provided. All skill levels are welcome. For more information, please visit chessacademy.com.

• The 2023 Camp Guide is now available online: http://howardcountymd.gov/rap. Online registration for Howard County residents begins 2/1 at 6 pm, w/ over-the-phone, mail-in & in-person beginning the next day.

Columbia Association

• Columbia Association offers a wide variety of camps each summer. Their registration starts March 6. More information can be found here -https://www.columbiaassociation.org/community-program/camps/

Howard Community College - Kids on Campus

HCC is for kids, too!

• Registration for Summer 2023 Begins January 26
• HCC’s well-known Kids on Campus program provides enrichment education for youth ages 6 to 17. Summer classes include morning and afternoon programs from June 26 to August 17. Supervised lunch, before-care, and aftercare are also offered.
• More information here - https://www.howardcc.edu/programs-courses/continuing-education/courses/kids-on-campus/

HCPSS Summer Programs

Online enrollment requests for currently enrolled HCPSS students will open Wednesday, February 1 at 6 p.m. for the following programs:

• BSAP Summer Institute (Entering Grades K-9)
• Gifted and Talented Summer Institutes for Talent Development (Entering Grades 1-8)
• Summer Math Scholars Program (Entering Grades 6-8)

NOTE: Invitations for eligible HCPSS students for Academic Intervention and Extended School Year Special Education programs will come directly from the school or special education team in the spring.

Enrollment requests can be made by a parent, guardian, school counselor or school achievement liaison. Please carefully review the course descriptions, dates, times and locations in the program course lists before submitting an enrollment request.

Enrollment requests are made via HCPSS Connect Synergy. Directions are available online.

For more information visit the HCPSS website.