THE BRIDGE

Our mission is to ensure that all students acquire knowledge, develop skills, and improve work habits to enable them to become productive members of society. We will maintain high expectations for all students, to sustain a positive school climate, ensure a safe and orderly school environment, monitor students' progress on a frequent basis, adjust instruction, and promote effective home-school communication.

High Bridge Elementary School is a community of diverse learners, where all students can develop their talents and gifts to be prepared for college and careers. Through real world experiences, 21st century instruction and the integration of all cultures, students will achieve academic success and become lifelong learners.

Dear High Bridge Elementary School Community,

We hope this message finds you well! We want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support and partnership in ensuring the success and well-being of your children.

Here are a few important updates and reminders:

1. Encouraging Electronic Platform Use at Home:
   We encourage all students, particularly those in grades 3 to 5 and any others permitted, to engage with our electronic platforms at home. This practice will reinforce the learning taking place in the classroom and help your child stay on track with their progress.

2. Early Dismissal Reminder:
   Please note that there will be a 3-hour early dismissal on Monday, January 27, at 10:40 a.m. Please make arrangements for your child to be picked up or supervised upon dismissal.

3. Refillable Water Bottles:
   As a reminder, students are encouraged to bring a refillable water bottle to school. This has been an effective way for students to stay hydrated while minimizing spills in the hallways. Refillable water stations are available throughout the building for their convenience.

4. Promoting Respectful Behavior:
   We kindly ask for your support in reminding your children to treat their classmates and adults with respect, both in the school building and on the bus. Together, we can foster a positive and respectful learning environment for everyone.

Thank you for your attention to these matters and for your continued collaboration. We truly appreciate all that you do to support your child’s education and well-being.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Principal Christian

This month our scholars in grades K-5 will be taking the following assessments: i-Ready diagnostic for reading (K-5), and the DIBELS assessment for early literacy skills (K-3). Please see below for information on what each assessment entails.

i-Ready - The i-Ready Diagnostic is an online assessment that will help teachers' determine student needs, personalize their learning, and monitor progress throughout the school year. The assessment will be administered between January 14 - January 30, 2025 to students in grades K-5. The i-Ready diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts questions based on your child’s responses. It is expected that your child will not be able to answer every question correctly. The diagnostic is untimed, but most students complete the assessment in 45-60 minutes. Students do not complete the assessment in one sitting. The results of the i-Ready diagnostic will be used by teachers to implement and improve instructional practices. The purpose of this assessment is an instructional tool for teachers and no grade will be assigned.

DIBELS - Students in grades K-3 will be taking the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) between January 20 - February 7, 2025. This assessment has been chosen in accordance with Maryland Senate Bill 734, which requires screening of every kindergarten, first, second, and third-grade student to identify if students' are at risk for reading difficulties. DIBELS is a series of brief assessments that are administered individually. The assessment results will help teachers determine students’ abilities in the areas of: phonological awareness, phonics, and reading comprehension. These series of measures will take 5-8 minutes per child. Students are taken to a quiet testing environment for the administration. Teachers will use the results from the DIBELS assessment to identify students who are in need of supplemental instruction, as well as to provide individualized instruction for all students. Since this assessment is an instructional tool for teachers, no grade will be assigned. Parents/Guardians will receive a report with their child’s testing results after the administration.

January 27 - Practice daily coping strategies for when a “fail” happens.

January 28 - Have weekly or daily family meetings to discuss how meeting set goals is going.

January 29 - Encourage your child to take a break and recharge before tackling a goal.

January 30 - Model how you handle a mistake and what you learn.

January 31 - Talk positively about a goal you’re trying to meet.

February 1 - Spend time thinking about what you can learn about your own bias.

February 2 - Talk about different cultures, races and disabilities with diverse characters.

February 3 - Expose your child to cultural events or festivals.

February 4 - Watch movies or TV shows that are diverse and sensitive.

February 5 - Visit a museum with cultural exhibits.

February 6 - Buy toys that include different races, ethnicities, gender or disabilities.

February 7 - Talk about the history of your own family.

February 8 - Talk about the history of the US and other cultures.

February 9 - Talk about things that your child has in common with other kids.

February 10 - Talk about how your child is different from other kids.

February 11 - Share with your child things you do to confront and overcome a personal bias.

February 12 - Try different ethnic foods or restaurants.

February 13 - Enroll your child in an activity that is diverse.

February 14 - Help your child understand what it means to be and how to be a change agent.

February 15 - Watch a TV show that talks about race, culture and/or diversity.

February 16 - Learn to say“hello” in a different language.

February 17 - Model acceptance and curiosity with your child.

February 18 - Tell stories about people who have struggled in your family.

February 19 - Discuss other cultures, holidays, and special dates.

February 20 - Role-play what to do and say when someone isn’t treated fairly.

February 21 - Visit neighborhoods, cities, states, countries that are different from yours.

February 22 - Identity racism, bigotry, and discrimination when it happens in real life or on media.

February 23 - Teach your child about being a “bystander” vs. an “upstander.”

February 24 - Discuss these topics with your child on a regular basis, not just in February.

February 25 - Talk to your child about a time when you were treated unfairly and how it felt.

February 26 - Spend time thinking about what you can learn about your own bias.

February 27 - Listen to or watch a documentary about someone who stood up for the rights of others.

To remain in compliance with Administrative Procedure 5134. Please RETURN the attached form (completed) to your student's teacher with your requested statement. This Publicity Release Form will remain in effect through September 2025.

Thanks in advance!

According to PGCPS Administrative Procedure 6130 - GUIDELINES FOR OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES AND PLAYGROUND AND RECESS SUPERVISION - All students are prohibited to participate in the following during recess; dodge ball, football or any tackle activities or games.

We strongly encourage children to use Dreambox Math for additional practice for 30 minutes every week. Students may log in to Clever from any device to access Dreambox. Parents may also use the directions below to set-up a family account for the app.

Logging in to Your Student's Math Account

Parents may set up a Math Family account directly from the DreamBox Math student environment. To do this, the student needs to log into their school DreamBox Math account in Clever on a laptop, Chromebook, or desktop computer.

VIDEO DIRECTIONS ENGLISH: https://youtu.be/5pDeE4M2Pgs

SPANISH VIDEO: https://youtu.be/xFMACe57WSg

What is Dreambox?

DreamBox Math is an engaging and adaptive math program that integrates curriculum and continuous formative assessment to personalize instruction, develop conceptual understanding, build critical skills, and improve achievement for every student, regardless of where they are in their learning journey.

Effective immediately, we are encouraging students to bring a refillable thermos to school. They are welcomed to refill them at our water station dispensaries (which were replaced by the PGCPS provided water bottles) throughout the school. This will avoid water spillage in the hallways and lessen (or prevent) injuries. Your support is appreciate. (Originally Posted 9/30/2024)

The purpose of this title is to provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close educational achievement gaps.

El propósito de este título es brindar a todos los niños oportunidades significativas de recibir una educación justa, equitativa y de alta calidad, y cerrar las brechas de rendimiento educativo.

L’objectif de ce titre est d’offrir à tous les enfants une opportunité significative de recevoir une éducation juste, équitable et de haute qualité, et de combler les écarts de réussite scolaire.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G6qJzaJNLhT5hcqVtJlIQ8PhaANuz-F9/view?usp=drive_link

If you need assistance with anything please call the office or email the appropriate staff member. We will work to answer all of your questions and/or concerns.

Office hours 7:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Student Arrival will begin at 7:30 a.m. (NEW SY 24-25 SCHOOL TIME!)

Dismissal will begin at 1:40 p.m. (NEW SY 24-25 SCHOOL TIME!)

(Please be advised, Early Dismissal ends at 12:40 p.m.)

School Phone number 301-805-2690

Registration Secretary: Ms. Adams- celestial.adams@pgcps.org

Principal's Secretary: Mrs. Barboza- nancy.barboza@pgcps.org

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Harris- natasha.harris@pgcps.org

Arrival

Bus Riders - Students who arrive on the bus will be dropped off in the back of the school and supported by staff to transition to their classroom.

Parent drop-off (See below for more detail)

Under the direction of the staff, parents are to pull up all the way forward, in one lane only. Parents please do not get out of your car. Students should exit from the right passenger door, only.Make sure students have everything they need (book bag, lunch box, etc.) in order to keep the line moving and not hold up traffic.

Dismissal

Bus Riders - Students assigned to a bus will ride the bus each day. Students cannot switch buses unless approved by transportation. Please check the StopFinder mobile app for information about your child's bus stop.

Parent Pick-Up - If you are picking up your child at the end of the school day. Please go to the rear of the school. You will be able to sign your child out from a staff member. The person picking must be the parent/guardian or listed on the emergency contact/pick-up form.

Due to a significant number of students with allergies, no food items should be provided during birthday celebrations. Instead of bringing food, parents may consider providing school supplies to the class on the birthday of a student.

We appreciate your patience and understanding of this new policy. We want to ensure a safe environment for all of our students.

Thank you.

Please follow the procedure listed below to maintain a safe and efficient parent drop-off procedure. Thank you for working to ensure this process is safe for our students.

• Enter the parking lot through the driveway to the left of the school entrance

• Students will exit their cars from the right lane only (Single line for cars only)

• Pull your vehicle to the end of the walkway as directed by school staff before taking your child out of the car

• Please be sure to make a right turn onto High Bridge Road. (This will ensure that traffic does not back up on High Bridge Road - During the hours of 7:30-7:45 AM.)

• Follow directions from the school staff on duty to exit the parking lot

• Students will eat breakfast from 7:30-7:45

• Class begins promptly at 7:45.

Second Quarter - Progress Report Cards Available as of 12/18/2024

(This will be reported to parents thru ParentVUE.)

January 20 - February 7, 2025 - Dibels Testing

January 24 - End of 2nd Quarter

January 27 - Grading and Reporting Day for Teachers - 3 hour Early Dismissal for Students

January 27 - International Holocaust Remembrance Day

January 28/29 - Camp Schmidt Field Trip (5th Grade Only) - Rescheduled

January 29 - Lunar New Year

February 2 - Groundhog Day

February 3 - February 7 - National Counseling Week

February 12 - Abraham Lincoln's Birthday

February 14 - Valentine's Day

February 15 - Susan B. Anthony's Birthday

February 14 - Inclement Weather Make-Up Day – Schools Open (converted from a Professional Development Day)

February 17 - Presidents’ Day – Schools and Offices Closed

February 22 - George Washington's Birthday

February 28 - Ramadan (Begins at Sundown)

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vR2WTfnRls2lB1p_j__PwfQ6NxwZd4qJAxSyZsSkE3yRdrsCoOrygLZMNtglHSLvf4z0XjRnQE7Dh5i/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.gff059e1e8a_0_0

Please access the attached Code Look up for further information regarding school pictures. If you have questions about the Code Lookup or are having difficulty navigating the site, feel free to reach out to Strawbridge Customer Service team via the Live Chat on our website, www.strawbridge.net

Parents must enroll in the ParentVUE portal to receive an invitation to activate the app once downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Families must have an up-to-date email address in ParentVUE (new for 2024-25 school year) to activate the subscription. If a family's email address in ParentVUE is not current, the app will not work as the student schedule will not populate.

Track in the App: https://www.pgcps.org/offices/transportation/track-bus

Your commitment to fostering a strong school community is truly appreciated, and we look forward to working together for the benefit of our students and school.

Thank you once again for your support!

Our email address is highbridgeespto@gmail.com

Prince George's County Public Schools provides a student information system access portal that allows authorized caretakers to log into ParentVUE from any computer with an Internet connection and view the child's student information, including current attendance records and assignment scores.

What is ParentVUE?

Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, Synergy will replace SchoolMAX as the student information system for Prince George's County Public Schools. Families will now use ParentVUE, in place of Family Portal, to access important information about their students.

ParentVUE is the portal that allows parents and guardians to view information about their student, including classroom assignments and scores, attendance, transcripts, graduation status and more. In ParentVUE, families can also update their phone numbers and emergency contact information and access the Online Registration (OLR) Application.

Attendance continues to be important this school year and every school year. Please ensure your child is present and on time for school every day. If your child is sick or is presenting with any symptoms and therefore is unable to attend school, please notify your child's teacher immediately, and upon his/her return to school please write them a note to give to the teacher.

For all absences, the parent/guardian must submit a letter of explanation with dates of absences to the school upon your child’s return to school to be categorized as “lawful” or “unlawful.”

Pursuant to ANNOTATED CODE OF MARYLAND, Education Article, Sections 7-301, 7-302, and 8-403 and Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) 13A.08.01.01, 13A.08.01.02, 13A. 08.01.03, and 13A.08.01.04 each child who is five (5) years of age or under eighteen (18) years of age must attend school regularly during the entire school year.

Unlawful absence or truancy is defined as the act of a pupil being absent from school for a day or any portion of a class for any reason construed as unlawful or unexplained as defined by the above statutes.

https://www.pgcps.org/offices/humanresources/fingerprinting

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STAY TUNED!!!

Update!!!

We will be resuming our normal cafeteria procedures effective immediately. As part of this process, students’ breakfasts will be delivered directly to their classrooms.

Please follow this procedure closely. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Principal Christian and/or Assistant Principal Harris

Stay connected with PGCPS by signing up for email alerts and text messages. Help setting up an account can be found here.

High Bridge Elementary School

Website: https://www.pgcps.org/schools/high-bridge-elementary
Location: 7011 High Bridge Road, Bowie MD
Phone: 301-805-2690