The Fulton Flier

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Good morning Fulton Families,

We wanted to take a moment to share how smoothly our first week of school went. It’s been wonderful seeing the students back in the classroom, full of energy and enthusiasm for the new year.

Our teachers have been working hard to create a welcoming and engaging environment, and it’s been fantastic to see how quickly the students are settling in. Your support has been crucial in this transition, and we truly appreciate the efforts you’ve made to ensure your child started the year on a positive note.

As we continue into the school year, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need assistance. We’re here to support you and your child every step of the way.

Thank you for your continued partnership. Here’s to a great school year ahead!

Wishing you wave of joy,

Dr. Burks, Mrs. Liwosz, & Mrs. Sillers

This year, we are excited to focus on developing important character traits aligned with our core values of Learning, Kindness, and Relationships. Each month, we will spotlight a specific character trait that we will discuss during our morning announcements.

We encourage you to join us in this initiative by discussing the monthly trait at home with your child(ren). Your involvement will reinforce the trait and help deepen its impact.

Thank you for partnering with us in fostering these important values.

For the month of September, we will be learning about compassion.

Compassion: Caring enough to do something about someone else’s needs

SHARE WITH YOUR CHILD(REN):

• Share a time in your life when someone showed compassion and helped you with a need.
• How does it make you feel when you show compassion and help others when they are in need?

ASK YOUR CHILD(REN):

• Can you think of a time one of your friends showed you compassion and helped you?
• Who is someone you can show compassion for this week?

Parents/guardians can monitor their child’s HCPSS Chromebook internet usage by signing up for Lightspeed Parent Notifications to receive a weekly email summary of their child’s usage.

Once parents have signed up for Lightspeed Parent Notifications, the email summary delivered each Sunday will contain a link with access to the Lightspeed Parent Portal, which provides near real-time information on their child’s internet activity.

The Lightspeed Parent Portal offers additional details about internet usage and the ability to control a child’s online activities when they are not on the HCPSS network at school by allowing parents to pause the internet for 1 hour, 3 hours or until 6 a.m. the next morning. Frequently asked questions about Lightspeed and the Parent Portal can be found online.

HCPSS teachers will access Lightspeed in the classroom to monitor student Chromebook usage. Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s teacher if they notice their child is regularly on non-academic websites during the day.

Find instructions on signing up for Lightspeed Parent Notifications online.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to review HCPSS Student Mobile Technology Duties and Obligations, which outlines the responsible use of technology in accordance with HCPSS Board Policy 8080 Responsible Use of Technology, Digital Tools, and Social Media.

In accordance with Maryland’s Ready to Read Act (2019) and COMAR (2021), all Howard County Public School System kindergarten students will be screened to identify potential reading difficulties using the Amplify mClass with DIBELS 8th Edition assessment. Please click below to read the full notification.👇

HCPSS participates in the Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMs) program. Qualification is based on family size and income, and enrollment is confidential.

Participation in FARMs qualifies students for a wide range of opportunities and resources beyond breakfast and lunch, including free college applications, free or reduced JumpStart tuition, discounted internet through the Comcast Internet Essentials program, and more.

Families must submit a new application every school year by Oct. 31. During the first 30 school days, students with FARMs eligibility from the prior school year will continue to receive benefits. Any student whose family has not filled out an application by the 30th school day will have their status changed to full pay until a new application is received.

Parents/guardians are highly encouraged to fill out the applications as soon as possible. It is very important that applications are filled out accurately and completely. Families can:

• Apply online
• Apply by mail: Paper applications can be picked up in the Food and Nutrition Service Office (5451 Beaverkill Rd, Columbia, MD 21044). Applications can be returned to your child’s school or mailed to: HCPSS Food & Nutrition Service Office, 10910 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City, MD 21042.
  

If you have questions regarding the program, please visit www.hcpss.org/FARMsLinks to an external site. or call Food and Nutrition Services at 410-313-6743.

Community members are invited to attend one of these meetings to help inform the system’s new strategic plan by providing their input about stakeholder values during this virtual, hour-long opportunity facilitated by HCPSS staff. No registration is required.

• September 9, 2024 – 5:00–6:00 pm – Google Meet link

• September 10, 2024 – 7:00–8:00 pm – Google Meet link

• September 17, 2024 – 5:00–6:00 pm – Google Meet link

Please find the list of after school activities hosted by Howard County Parks and Recreation Department that will be here at FES. The classes provide fun, structured, educational, and enriching activities for students

September

• 09/02: No School (Labor Day)
• 09/11: 5:15pm 1st & 2nd Grade Back to School Night; 6:30 PTA Meeting In-Person
• 09/12: 5:00pm 3rd-5th Grade Back to School Night
• 09/18: 12:55pm 3hr early dismissal

October

• 10/03 No School (Rosh-Hashanah)
• 10/18 No School (Professional Work Day)
• 10/31 No School (Professional Work Day)

For a complete list of dates and events visit https://fes.hcpss.org/calendar

PTA Happenings

Become A Member

Please consider joining the PTA - https://fulton.memberhub.com/store.

Joining is a tax deductible donation (that requires zero commitment or time) but will help will make an impact on our school, our students, and our teachers. Every little bit helps!

Become A Year Long Sponsor

Thanks to the generosity of organizations like yours, Fulton Elementary has been able to put on so many wonderful programs for our students, teachers, parents, and friends of the school.

Help us kick off the year with a generous contribution to support the FES PTA! In doing so, your company will be promoted throughout the school year at highly anticipated events like Falcon Trot, Fall Fest, and so much more. See attached flier and email Jade at vp2@fespta.org for details!

Get Involved

Want to get involved, meet new friends, bring fresh ideas? Click the link for a committee interest form and you could join a team to organize one of our many PTA Events! There’s something for everyone from event planning to fundraising to becoming a PTHAC officer. We look forward to hearing from you!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwI74iKap9mPWisDJ9IVL3XrPrazSwwR-GvUBO2ilQLCpzoA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Upcoming Dates

PTA Meeting

9/11 • 6:30-7:30pm • Cafeteria (Immediately following lower elementary back to school night)

Please join us for our first meeting of the year! Get a sneak peak of what you can expect this year and all members in attendance can help us vote on the budget (we need a minimum of 10 paid members in attendance.)

Fall Fest

10/5 • 2-5pm • Fulton Elementary

See flier for details, tickets coming soon.

Join us for an afternoon of fall fun - games, food, crafts for the whole family. We hope to see you there!

Falcon Trot

11/2 • SAVE THE DATE

A great community event, come join the fun! Details to follow!

Thank You

School Kits

Thank you so much to Lindsay Blumberg, Erika Reigle, Tami Milstein and Board Point of Contact Nicole Davison for organizing, coordinating and delivering the school supply kits!

Not only is this convenient for us as parents, it’s also a fundraiser so an extra big thanks to our families for ordering!

In order to volunteer in the school or chaperone field trips you must complete the training required by the Howard County Public School System and Fulton Elementary School. There are 2 PowerPoint presentations that you must view as well as a video. After viewing the presentations you will need to print out and complete certificates for each presentation. After viewing the video, please complete the Google Form, there is no need to bring that in.

Once the training certificates are completed and signed, they should be returned to our Front Office. You may send them in via your child’s homeroom teacher, for convenience. These certificates are kept on file throughout the school year and must be completed each new school year. Front Office must have BOTH certificates on file to allow parents, guardians or other family members to volunteer in any capacity.

Below are the links to the trainings and certifications.

1. Child Abuse and Neglect Training:

PowerPoint: http://www.hcpss.org/f/employees/childabuse_ppt.pdf

Certificate: http://www.hcpss.org/f/parents/abuse_certificate.pdf

2. Confidentiality Training:

PowerPoint: http://www.hcpss.org/f/parents/parent-volunteer-confidentiality-training.pdf

Certificate: http://www.hcpss.org/f/parents/parent-volunteer-confidentiality-certificate.pdf

3. FES Volunteer Confidentiality Training:

Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10Ye7Ya9WLEaskWLqDBZUO5XnSe_kpInN/view?usp=sharing

Form: https://forms.gle/Tm9YWwHZiVy9nq5V8

If you are interested in volunteering during lunch and recess, once you have completed the required trainings, you will be given access to the Lunch/Recess Volunteer electronic sign-up document.

We are so grateful to be in a community that shows such great interest in helping out at Fulton Elementary. We look forward to working with our volunteers this school year.

If you have any questions regarding volunteering, please contact Mrs. Jomika Tatum (Jomika_Tatum@hcpss.org) our Volunteer Coordinator and she will be happy to assist you.

Research is clear that showing up for school has a huge impact on a student’s academic and social success, starting from pre-kindergarten and continuing through high school.

• Missing 10% (or about 18 days of a school year or two a month) can drastically affect a student’s academic success at each grade level.

• By the 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that can indicate if a student is at risk for dropping out of high school.

• In the 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th-grade test scores.

Please help us support a culture of showing up to school every day!

Please review Policy 9010: https://policy.hcpss.org/9000/9010/

Reporting Student Absences

If your student is absent or will be absent, please contact us at the following email address to explain the reason: FESabsence@hcpss.org.. In the email, please Include the following information:

• Student First and Last Name

• Grade

• Reason for absence (e.g., illness, bereavement, observance of a religious holiday, lack of transportation)

Discretionary Days
HCPSS students are granted 3 days a year to use at their discretion for a wide variety of reasons.

Please complete our Discretionary Day form at least one week in advance for approval.

The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for all students. Preventing bullying is an important part of this goal. HCPSS Policy 9460 states that bullying, cyberbullying, harassment, and intimidation are prohibited in HCPSS. Our administration and staff have been trained and made aware of this policy as well as preventative and responsive measures.

The Standards-Based Instruction and Reporting (SBIR) Family and Community Resources is a public Canvas course that provides resources to students, families, and the community to provide important information about SBIR.

Please visit HCPSS Connect to update your Family File for the 2024-2025 school year today! It is mandatory for parents/guardian to complete the Family File every year to ensure that FES has the most current and accurate information for each year.

Parents/guardians will be asked to provide or update the following information…

• Student Information

• Parent/Guardian Contact

• Emergency Contacts

  • Please list multiple emergency contacts!

• Medical Information

• Arrival/Dismissal Procedures and Transportation Options

• Photo Approval

• Data Confidentiality

• Student Creative Work Approval

• PTA/PTSA Directory

Family File must be completed in order for families to access teacher assignments for the child/children prior to the start of the school year. Thank you for updating your child’s Family File today in HCPSS Connect!

Helpful Family File Resources:

• FAMILY FILE QUICK REFERENCE CARD (ENGLISH)

• FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (ENGLISH)

• FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (SPANISH)

• FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (CHINESE)

• FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (KOREAN)

• HOMEPAGE FOR HCPSS CONNECT GUIDES & TUTORIALS

For families that receive bus transportation, bus stop information for the 2024-2025 school year is forthcoming and will be accessible online via the Bus Stop Locator or HCPSS Connect Synergy under More Options and then Homeroom / Transportation / POS.

For families that do not receive bus transportation, if your child will be walking or riding their bike to school, I encourage you to take time now to familiarize your child with their route to and from school. Map out and walk the route between your home and school to ensure all roads, sidewalks and pathways are familiar for your child. In addition, review crosswalks and intersections that are safe for crossing the road if required and review safe pedestrian tips with your student. If you encounter any issues regarding safety as you walk these routes with your student, please contact the HCPSS Office of Student Transportation to make HCPSS staff aware.

Additionally, please review the arrival and dismissal information for all students.

Please note HCPD will be removing their crossing guard located at Maple Lawn Blvd @ Market Street for arrival and dismissal times due to very few students utilizing them. This will not affect student safety, however. FES students still receive bus service.