LINTON'S NEWS & NOTES

Email: LSEAttendance@carrollk12.org
Website: https://lse.carrollk12.org
Location: 375 Ronsdale Road, Sykesville, MD, USA
Phone: 410-751-3280

Our Vision:

Linton Springs is a community of lifelong learners

who demonstrate academic excellence and outstanding character.

Our Mission:

Collaborate... Teach... Inspire... Support... Empower

Our Core Values:

At Linton Springs, we value:

Perseverance...Respect...Inclusivity...Community...Excellence

December 2024

December 4th: Fall Picture Retakes

December 4th: Parent-Teacher Conference Night #3

December 9th - 13th: Scholastic Book Fair

December 11th: Midterm for Marking Period #2; Interims come home with K-2 and HAC updated for 3-5

December 12th: Family Night at the Book Fair & Annual Spelling Bee

December 13th: 'A Season to Remember' Benefit Concert at Westminster High School

December 13th - December 19th: LSE PTA Holiday Shop

December 18th: Winter Concert daytime performance for students

December 18th: LSE PTA Holiday Shop Family Night @ 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.

December 18th: Grade 3 Field Trip to Mt Airy Bowling Lanes

December 19th: Winter Concert @ Century High School

December 23 - December 31st: Schools & Offices Closed--Winter Break

January 2025

January 2nd: Happy New Year! Schools Reopen

January 13th: Yearbook Groups Picture Day--there will be no make-ups

January 17th: Kids Heart Challenge Kick-Off Assembly

January 20th: Schools & Offices Closed--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

January 24th: End of Marking Period #2

January 27th: Schools Closed for Students

January 28th: Parent-Teacher Conference Night #4

January 31st: Report Cards go home; Grades 3-5 published on HAC by 6:00 p.m.

If your child(ren) will be absent from school, please remember to send an email to LSEAttendance@carrollk12.org and copy their homeroom teacher.

In the absence note, please indicate a reason for the absence. If no reason is provided, the absence will be marked as unexcused.

Office Phone: 410-751-3280; Lines are open from 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

General Inquires: LSEAttendance@carrollk12.org

Student Absences/Late Arrivals/Early Dismissals/Dismissal Changes: LSEAttendance@carrollk12.org and copy your child's homeroom teacher.

Please click here for our staff directory and bookmark our school website: https://lse.carrollk12.org

Please continue to bring in plastic for your grade level. Fourth grade has a huge lead right now, but there is still lots of time to catch up!

First Grade: 11

Second Grade: 13

Third Grade: 48

Fourth Grade: 122

Fifth Grade: 36

Total: 230 lbs.

Helping to Feed All in Carroll County

Families experiencing financial difficulty can apply at any time during the school year for free or reduced-price meals at www.myschoolapps.com. Despite this, many families who do not qualify have challenges making ends meet and charge meals at school. If you would like to donate to reduce this burden on families at your child’s school or any school with a need in Carroll County here is how you can make an unpaid meal charge donation to CCPS.

At the School Level:

Those wishing to send funds to reduce unpaid meal debt at a particular school location can send a check made out to the school with School Meal Debt Donation written on the memo line.

At the Central Office Level:

Those wishing to send funds to reduce unpaid meal debt can send a check made out to Carroll County Public Schools with School Meal Debt Donation written on the memo line.

Checks must be mailed to:

Karen Sarno, Food Services Carroll County Public Schools, 125 North Court Street, Westminster, MD 21157

2024 Scholastic Book Fair

Our Scholastic Book fair will be held from December 9th through the 13th with our family night on the evening of our annual Spelling Bee, Thursday, December 12th.

Students will have the opportunity to browse the books in the book fair and make a wish list the week before. We are seeking parent volunteers to help us write wish lists for our younger classes. Please sign up here.

We will also need parent volunteers to help our younger classes shop during buying week. If you would like to help, please sign up here.

All parents that sign up must have completed Volunteer Training. Thank you for your support of our media center!

The music department is busy putting the final touches on our winter concert! Please join the 5th grade band, 5th grade orchestra, and 4th and 5th grade chorus at Century High School on December 19th at 7:00 PM for our evening concert. We are also excited to have our chorus perform on December 13th at 7:00 at Westminster High School in a benefit concert entitled “A Season To Remember”. Proceeds benefit the Bridging Life/Dove Hospice House. Tickets can be purchased at this link www.bridginglifecare.org/make-a-gift

I hope this letter finds you in good health and spirits. The holidays are just around the corner, and you can see the excitement in the students’ faces. With that in mind I wanted to review our policy for sickness so we can prevent the spread of illness within our school and community.

If your child develops a fever (temperature of 100.1 or greater) they must be fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to school. If your child has diarrhea and/or vomiting, they must be free of symptoms for 24 hours before returning to school.

Children diagnosed with strep throat need to stay home for 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotics is given. Many pediatricians/physicians are stating students can return to school after they have had 2 doses of the antibiotics. CCPS policy is 24 hours after the first dose of antibiotics are given and the student must be fever free for 24 hours. This policy is also for students diagnosed with pink eye (conjunctivitis). The student must be on the antibiotic for 24 hours before returning to school and the eye must not have any active drainage (yellow, brown, green, or white discharge).

Here are some practical steps you can take to prevent the spread of illness in the school and community:

1. Encourage Good Hygiene: Review proper handwashing with your child. Remind them to wash their hands frequently for at least 20seconds with soap and water especially before and after eating, after using the restroom, after playing outside, and after coughing/sneezing. If soap and water are not available use hand sanitizer.

2. Promote Respiratory Etiquette: Teach your child to cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or their elbow when coughing or sneezing. Encourage them to properly dispose of their tissues and wash their hands.

3. Stay home when sick: If your child is showing any signs or symptoms of illness, please keep them at home to rest and recover. This helps your child heal and prevents the spread of illness to other students and staff.

4. Vaccinations: Consider getting the flu, COVID and pneumococcal vaccines for your child.

5. Healthy Habits: Encourage your child to get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, eat a healthy diet, and get plenty of exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We appreciate your support in keeping our students and community healthy.

Nurse Twigg

We strive to be outside as much as possible, weather permitting. With the winter season quickly approaching and temperatures falling, we strongly encourage all students to dress warmly for outdoor recess.

Hats, gloves, and coats are highly recommended--even for those who insist on wearing shorts in the snow! :)

Please be sure that all items are properly labeled so we can return missing mittens to their owners!

Safe Schools Maryland is an ANONYMOUS and FREE reporting system available to students, teachers, school staff members, parents, and the general public to report any school or student safety ​concerns, including mental health concerns.

Safe Schools Maryland is Maryland’s only ​official anonymous reporting system. Safe Schools Maryland operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year.

Your anonymous report can be submitted by calling the tip line (1-833-MD-B-SAFE / 1-833-632-7233), completing an online form (below), or downloading the free Safe Schools Maryland app from the App Store or Google Play.​

All tips submitted for Carroll County Public Schools are carefully reviewed and monitored by the CCPS School Security Office. More information can be found here: Pages - Report a Tip (maryland.gov)

CONSENT AND RELEASE

Permission to Photograph, Videotape, or Audiotape

Throughout the school year, the Carroll County Public School System frequently covers school activities and may use your child’s photograph, video image, or voice for educational, informational, or public relations purposes, with or without identification by name.

If you do not wish to have your child’s voice reproduced on tape or to have his/her image appear in such things as a video or a photograph, or on the school or school system website or social media, please notify the school principal in writing. It is assumed that parents and guardians consent to their children being audiotaped, photographed, videotaped, or having their image placed on a school website or social media by the school system, unless such notification is received.

There are also occasions when the media cover certain school events (such as when a government leader visits a school). If you do not wish to have your child’s name or likeness published by the media, you should address your concerns directly to the school involved so that the media is so advised. Please be advised that the school system has no control over the media when they are covering activities such as sporting events and musical programs that are open to the public.

Use of Student Work on Websites or in Publications

There may be times throughout the year when the Carroll County Public School System wishes to display student work on school websites, social media, or in publications. If you do not wish to have your child’s art, poetry, writing, etc. appear on school websites, social media, or in publications, please notify the school principal in writing. It is assumed that parents and guardians consent to their child’s work being displayed on school websites, social media, or in publications unless such notification is received.

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

The Board of Education of Carroll County does not engage in discrimination that is unlawful or contrary to Maryland State Department of Education guidance on the basis of age, color, genetic information, marital status, mental or physical disability, ancestry or national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

The Board of Education of Carroll County is firmly committed to creating equal employment and educational opportunities for all persons by providing an environment that supports optimal academic achievement and productive work and is free from any form of unlawful discrimination, including access to school facilities, educational programs, and extracurricular activities.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of Human Resources, 125 North Court Street, Westminster, Maryland 21157, (410) 751-3070.

NOTICE OF ASBESTOS

The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) management plans for all buildings owned or leased by the Board of Education of Carroll County are available for review at the individual Carroll County school locations and at Office of Plant Operations, located at 191 Schaeffer Avenue, Westminster, Maryland 21157. Management plans are required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and depict the location, amount, condition, and response action projected for any asbestos-containing materials, if any are located in the school building.

MOMENT OF SILENCE

It is the policy of the Board of Education of Carroll County that all schools are required to have a moment of silence or meditation for approximately one minute each school day. During this moment of silence, the Carroll County Public Schools shall neither advance nor inhibit silent religious activity. Following the pledge of allegiance to the flag and before the completion of the opening exercise, all students will observe approximately one minute of silence, before continuing with the day’s activities. In exercising his or her individual choice, each person may meditate, pray, or engage in any other silent activity which does not interfere with, distract, or impede others in the like exercise of their individual choice. The following is a list of inappropriate activities: (1) talking or any audible sounds, and (2) gesturing, using sign language, or writing notes for the purpose of person to person communication. Administrators shall enact appropriate administrative procedures in the event that individuals do not follow the established policy.

ADA ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

Carroll County Public Schools (CCPS) does not discriminate on the basis of disability in employment or the provision of services, programs or activities. Persons needing auxiliary aids and services for communication should contact the Communications Office at 410-751-3020 or publicinfo@carrollk12.org, or write to Carroll County Public Schools, 125 North Court Street, Westminster, Maryland 21157. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, may use Relay or 7-1-1. Please contact the school system at least one (1) week in advance of the date the special accommodation is needed.

Information concerning the Americans with Disabilities Act is available from the Director of Facilities Management, (410) 751-3177, or the Communications Officer, (410) 751-3020, 125 North Court Street, Westminster, Maryland 21157.