THE BRIDGE
Week at a Glance - January 21, 2024
Why we SOAR?
Mission
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.
Vision
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.
From Principal Christian's Desk
Dear High Bridge Elementary School Community,
We hope this letter finds you well! As we approach the end of the grading period, we want to remind you that the second grading period will conclude on Wednesday, January 24th. Please ensure that your student has submitted all required assignments and assessments to finish the period successfully.
Additionally, we encourage you to review the important testing information included in this month’s newsletter. These details are critical for understanding upcoming testing schedules, preparation tips, and resources to support your child’s success.
Lastly, we ask that you remain mindful of our transportation reminders to ensure the safety and efficiency of student drop-off and pick-up. Following these guidelines helps us maintain a smooth process for everyone involved.
Thank you for your continued support and collaboration. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Warm regards,
Principal Christian
TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025
High Bridge Elementary is following a two-hour delay schedule. Doors will be open at 9:30 AM!!
From our TESTING DEPARTMENT......
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.
Social Emotional Learning Tip (January)
January 20 - Share one of your goals with your child and tell them how you’ll accomplish it.
January 21 - If one goal costs money, have your child label a jar to start saving for it.
January 22 - Make a list of 3 goals you want to get done today.
January 23 - Create an obstacle course and see if your child can beat their time each time they try it.
January 24 - When your child says they can’t do something, put “yet” at the end.
January 25 - When your child makes a mistake, talk about what they can learn from it.
January 26 - Ask “What would you do” questions to discuss how they could accomplish that.
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.
PGCPS PUBLICITY RELEASE FORM
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!
ATTENTION ALL PARENTS!!!!
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.
Practicing Math at Home (Dream Box)
We strongly encourage children to use Dreambox Math for additional practice. 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.
Refillable Thermos are WELCOMED!
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)
HIGH BRIDGE is a TITLE ONE SCHOOL
What does this mean?
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
School Visitors
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
How Does High Bridge Move......
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.
Birthday Celebrations
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.
Parent Drop Off Procedures
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.
WHAT TO EXPECT HIGH BRIDGE FAMILY!
Scheduled Events
Second Quarter - Progress Report Cards Available as of 12/18/2024
(This will be reported to parents thru ParentVUE.)
January 14 - January 30, 2025 - i-Ready Diagnostic Testing
January 16 - Parent Information Meeting (Camp Schmidt Field Trip) - 5th Grade Only
January 20 - Dr. Martin Luther KIng Jr. Holiday - School and Offices Closed
January 20 - February 7, 2025 - Dibels Testing
January 23 - National Handwriting Day
January 23/24 - Camp Schmidt Field Trip (5th Grade Only)
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 29 - Lunar New Year
Parent Resources
Strawbridge Access Information
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
Transportation Information (Parent)
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
Parent Teacher Organization
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
ParentVUE (Synergy) - NOW THERE'S A LINK ON THE PGCPS HOME PAGE
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.
Stay Connected!
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.
Fingerprinting and Background Checks for Applicants, School Visitors, Volunteers and One-time Volunteers
From the Cafeteria.......
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
School Messanger
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