Hollywood Elementary

Hollywood families,

On Friday, April 12th, theS MCPS Department of Maintenance will begin the process of changing schools from heating mode to cooling mode for the balance of the season. Once the changeover is complete it will take a couple of weeks to fine-tune each building for optimal performance. With overnight low temperatures dipping into the 50s the next few weeks, buildings will be chilly in the morning as boilers will no longer be running overnight. Undoubtedly there will also be a few cool days in the next few weeks. Please monitor the forecast and dress accordingly., layers are always a good idea this time of year.

Be sure to review this entire newsletter each week as it will provide you with valuable resources and information.

Take Care,

Mrs. DiRenzo

April 10: Marking Period 3 report cards will be available in the Home Access Center

April 11: Military Parent Luncheon

April 12: Square One Art Orders Due

April 18: American Heart Association Color Run

April 19: National Purple Up Day

April 19: 2 hour early dismissal

April 22 -26: Spring Book Fair

April 25: PTO Reading Night

The SMCPS Board of Education approved an amendment to the 2023-2024 SMCPS Operational Calendar. The revised calendar posted to www.smcps.org/calendar.

As a result of the fact that SMCPS did not use any of its inclement weather days built into the calendar, the final day for the 2023-2024 school year has been adjusted.

• The final day for students will be Friday, June 7, 2024.

• The final day for 10-month staff will be Tuesday, June 11, 2024

• The final day for 11-month staff will be Monday, June 24, 2024.

All schools will hold open registration beginning Monday, May 6, 2024, which will continue -throughout the summer. Students who are currently enrolled in SMCPS Pre-K do NOT need to re-register. Current Pre-K students will rollover to kindergarten, unless they are an out of district transfer student.

Parents of children who will be five years old by September 1, 2024, should register at the school assigned to their physical address during the open enrollment period.

Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) may go to the school assigned to their legal address to complete

the registration paperwork. Children are not required to be present for registration. Required

documentation includes evidence of birth, proof of residency, a copy of the child’s immunization record, and any court papers regarding custody of the minor child. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) must also bring photo identification when registering their child.

Each elementary school will conduct open enrollment for the children residing in their zone.

Information regarding which school serves your residential area is provided by the Department

of Capital Planning at SMCPS - Find a School by your address or 301-475-4256, option 6.

St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) will begin to accept Pre- Kindergarten 4 Applications on Thursday, April 11, 2024. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future allows for families with children who are 4 years old on or before September 1, 2024, to apply for full-day Pre-Kindergarten. All families are welcome to apply; however, income is the primary qualifier for eligibility. All applications will be screened and identified on a System of Tiers.

The SMCPS website, www.smcps.org, has information and guidance for completing the 2024-

2025 Pre-Kindergarten Application. You may also contact us using the helpdesk form, call 301-

475-5511 ext. 32285, or email Mrs. Charlottis Woodley, Director of Parent & Family Engagement, at cmwoodley@smcps.org. Spanish language assistance is available.

• Applications for STEM 6 will open on April 2 and close on April 30, 2024. No late applications will be accepted. The online application will be found on the Academies page of the SMCPS website.

• The annual Academy Open House will be held virtually on Wednesday, April 10th starting at 5:30 pm. More information is available via the Academy Open House Google Site.

You should have received your child's custom catalog for the Square 1 Art fundraiser catalog - featuring their own name and art on the cover, WITH FREE STICKERS OF THEIR ART! Get a head start, and start ordering keepsakes and gifts featuring your child's art online NOW, if you like! Simply search for your child's art using Art Search https://shop.square1art.com/Shop/artwork/Search, and enter state, school name, and your student's name. Your student's art and code will appear, and you may order! NEW - *Ship to Home FREE. (*Customer pays a small $1.99 processing fee at checkout and order ships to home.) Order by: 4/12/2024 Upload additional art if you like, using Art Upload! Sincerely, Hollywood Elementary School PTO

Hollywood Heron Families,

Currently we have raised 2,716.50 which is 50% of the way to making our school goal of raising 5,500 dollars for the American Heart Association. We have 81 students registered and we now have 4 students who have completed Finn’s Mission.

Remember just for registering for the AHA Heart Challenge you receive a heart bracelet and with each small donation you earn thank you character keychains like Skip, Spark, Splash and many others. Thank you to all who have donated so far. Remember to celebrate the end of our fundraiser our school will be participating in a color run on April 18th to represent the healthy fruits and vegetables our body needs to be heart healthy. More information will follow as we conclude the fundraiser. Help Hollywood reach our goal and share on social media!!!!

http://www2.heart.org/goto/hesheronsrock

While school attendance every day is so important, we need all intermediate students at school for our MISA (science grade 5) and MCAP (ELA and Math grades 3, 4, 5) state testing in March, April, and May. Parents and guardians, please write down these dates now to ensure students are here at school for these important days.

Grade 4 & 5 ELA: April 10, 11, 16, 17

Grade 3 ELA: April 17, 18, 23, 24

Grade 3 Math: April 29, 30, May 2, 3

Grade 4 & 5 Math: May 6, 7, 9, 10

SMCPS and SMC R&P have partnered to offer the new Summer Sports Academies. Campers will be instructed by area high school coaches. Camps are held Monday - Thursday. Click below for more information. Registration begins March 1st. Don't miss this opportunity.

• https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/recreate/camps

• https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/docs/thescoop.pdf

Parents or guardians of children receiving special education and related services were mailed the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey from the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services during the week of February 12, 2024. Parents are asked to complete the survey and return it in the postage-paid envelope by May 24, 2024. The Survey may also be completed online. Your feedback will help guide efforts to improve special education and related services in your local school system. Your voice can make a real difference for your child and many other children across the state of Maryland. To learn more, please visit https://www.mdparentsurvey.com.

It's true, we are approaching the halfway point of the school year! It's going quickly. HES staff know this can be a challenging time for the students to attend daily because the excitement of the holidays is over and it can feel like a grind to the students. It may be a little more challenging for your student to get out of bed in the morning or they may be feeling overwhelmed because they have already missed a few days of school. We are asking for families to help the students attend school every day, even when it's a difficult morning. We are all here to help and support them if they need some extra attention on those tough days. By attending, even when it's hard, they are growing the muscle of resilience and determination that will help them throughout their lives.

5th Grade Parents and Guardians:

Please review the letter that was sent home with your students on Friday, April 12th. 5th Grade students are beginning to prepare for their transition to 6th grade. Students will be selecting their choice for their Unified Arts in school this coming week. We are looking forward to hosting representatives from the Middle Schools in May to give them further information about 6th grade.

Evening Counseling: SMCPS is once again offering School-Based Counseling Support in the evening for SMCPS students. Counseling support focuses on the following areas: Healthy Relationships, Social Skills, Self-Esteem, Stress Management, Worry, Sadness, and Emotional Regulation. Services will be located at Margaret Brent Middle School and Greenview Knolls Elementary School on Tuesday evenings from 4-7:30 p.m. Please complete the Parent Contact Form for Evening Counseling to request services.

There are lots of updates, so please read carefully.

Mark your calendars, the Spring Book Fair will start on Friday, April 19th and end on Friday, April 26th. The HES PTO will be hosting a Reading Night on Thursday, April 25th from 5:00pm-7:00pm. The Book Fair will be open during that time for shopping. The Book Fair Homepage has all kinds of important information. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Ms. Hazuda (sjhazuda@smcps.org).

You can set up your child's eWallet now, so it will be ready for them when the Book Fair starts.

Set Up Child's eWallet

You should have gotten the All for Books letter and donation bag earlier this week. If you wish to donate online, you can by following the link below.

Donate to the All for Books eWallet

On Thursday, May 23rd we will be hosting author/illustrator Don Tate. He will be spending the whole day at our school and everyone PK-5th Grade will get a chance to see his presentation. We will be selling some of Don Tate's books before his visit. These books will be autographed by Don Tate when he is at Hollywood Elementary. Order forms along with payment will be due back to the Media Center by Friday, April, 19th. Paper copies went home this week and it can also be found below.

Don Tate Order Form

Hello Families!

The school based health clinics has updated their website with a new link to register students. The link can be found at https://smchd.org/sbhc/ and then you would click the blue button that says "Click Here to Enroll now for Faster Service". The school based health centers are a great way to see a provider without the long wait times at urgent care! See their website for more information.

KEEP ME HOME IF...

• I have a temperature higher than 100°F.
• I'm throwing up or have diarrhea.
• My eyes are pink and crusty.

SEND ME BACK TO SCHOOL WHEN...

• My symptoms have significantly improved or resolved.

• I haven't had a fever or fever-reducing medication for 24 hours.

• I haven't thrown up, had diarrhea or had medications to control these symptoms for 24 hours.

• If antibiotics have been prescribed, I have been taking them for at least 24 hours.

CALL THE DOCTOR IF...

• I’ve had a temperature higher than 100°F for more than 2 days.

• I've been throwing up or having diarrhea for more than 2 days.

• I've had cold symptoms for more than a week and they aren't getting any better.

• I still have asthma symptoms after using my asthma medicine (and call 911 if I'm having trouble breathing after using an inhaler).

2023-2024 SMCPS Calendar. The new calendar is posted online at www.smcps.org/calendar

Please review laptop expectations by sharing this presentation with your child. Classroom teachers will be reviewing laptop expectations with students at school as well. Thank you!

HES Laptop Expectations

Need to purchase a laptop charger?

You can do one of two things:

1. Email your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Miss Hazuda (sjhazuda@smcps.org) that you wish to pay for the missing laptop charger. A fine then can be assessed so that you can pay using My School Bucks, sending in cash, or a check (made out to SMCPS).

OR

2. Go directly to the DELL store. You can purchase directly from their website and have it shipped to your home.

Ensure one of these links is being used:

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps (click Shop Recommended Solutions to get to the discounted power cords)

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps-chargers (leads directly to the purchasing portal)

If you purchase from Dell, please make sure that you label the charger with the student's first and last name before sending it to school. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Miss Hazuda (sjhazuda@smcps.org).

Student Handbook - A Guide for Students & Families

Code of Conduct - A Guide for Students & Families

Click here to check your child's breakfast/lunch balance and add money to their account

If you have any questions about your HAC account, please contact the HES office for assistance.

https://www.smcps.org/hac

Both new and previously registered volunteers must complete a new volunteer application. The application process will end on May 1 of each school year. There is no application fee for school volunteers. Parental involvement is a key component to student success. Thank you for your support.

School Messenger Text Messaging FAQ's

• Please join our HES PTO!
• Thank you to those families who have already signed up to volunteer and support these events. There are still additional opportunities to volunteer, please consider signing up. Hollywood PTO Volunteer Interest Form Survey (surveymonkey.com)
  
• If you are interested in being involved with the HES PTO, please email heronpto@gmail.com
• HES PTO has a new Spirit Wear company. On top of the company getting amazing reviews for their customer service and quality, our HES PTO earns 10% in commissions for all our sales!! Woohoo!! Items will ship directly to your house as well. https://1stplacespiritwear.com/schools/MD/Hollywood/Hollywood+Elementary+School

Schoology is a very helpful tool and resource for teachers, students, and families. Please ensure that you are able to access Schoology for updates and information from the school and your child's teacher. If you need support in obtaining your Schoology log in information please email schoology@smcps.org for support. Please click Parent Notifications for directions to ensure your notifications are set to receive important information about your student.

Log Into the Schoology Mobile App

If you already have a Schoology account, download the Schoology app from Apple App Store, Google Play or the Amazon App Store. Tap the app icon to open it on your device.

You can use an email address or username to log into the application, depending on how your account was set up:

Log in through your School

1. Use the keyboard to enter SMCPS. As you type, matching choices populate in the list. The name, ID number, city, state, and zip code for the school should appear below.

2. Tap the name of your school or organization when it displays.

3. Use the email address or username to log in to the application, that was sent to you via email from Schoology with an app password. If you are an SMCPS student or teacher this is NOT your SMCPS password.

4. Tap LOG IN to complete.

If you are able to sign in with Google, and you are an SMCPS student or staff, please use that login process and follow the provided instructions in the prompts.

Want to enable notifications? Please check this document

Birthday treats present the potential for allergic reactions for many of our students. They also interrupt instruction. However, we understand that some students enjoy celebrating their birthday with their friends at school. Because of all of these factors, birthday treats may NOT be edible. Gift bags with stickers, pencils, crayons, erasers, and/or other small toys are acceptable. They can also be shared at recess or the end of the day which doesn’t compromise instructional time. Parents who wish to provide birthday treats to a class are asked to notify the homeroom teacher in advance and to drop them off in the front office as early as possible.

...provides a rich educational experience that focuses on preparing well rounded students that are ready to succeed in their future college and career endeavors. Hollywood educates and inspires our diverse population in a safe and respectful environment. Students are engaged in authentic learning experiences that foster work habits and skills necessary to become collaborative, dedicated, and productive citizens.

Email: eedirenzo@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/hes/
Location: 44345 Joy Chapel Road, Hollywood, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 373-4350
Twitter: @hes_smcps