volume , issue january...
TRANSCRIPT
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A Message from the Principal . . . Happy New Year and welcome back! We hope you enjoyed your winter
break, now it’s time to start 2016 with enthusiasm and eagerness. This month we have a lot to celebrate! Be sure to see important information in
this months newsletter about Attendance Awareness Month and Team BCPS Day, we also are happy to have our Nurse’s Suite permanently occu-
pied by our new school Nurse, Kristy Gorman. She is a welcome addition to
the Essex Elementary School family. We also have a special visitor coming next month!
As we enter into the winter season we want to remind you of school
hours. The first bell rings at 8:45 a.m. and we dismiss at 3:22 p.m. on a nor-mal school day. If schools are delayed an hour, the first bell would ring at
9:45 a.m.; 2 hours late the bell would ring at 10:45 a.m. Breakfast is not served when schools are 2 hours late and no morning prekindergarten. See
below on where to get up to date school information.
This is a good time to re-stock your child’s school supplies for the year. Check with them of what they need or have them bring home their
supply box so you can replenish.
Make sure the students’ set of clothes in their lockers have been re-placed for the winter season. We appreciate you having that extra set of
clothes in case of an issue at school.
As you are entering our parking lot, please make sure to use all park-ing spaces BEFORE you block a space. We work very hard to get you off of
the lot in a timely manner. During the cold months when there are more par-ent pickups, please assist us in this matter. Also, do not leave your car unat-
tended, especially at the entrance or if you are blocking other cars. There are
no unattended cars on the streets allowed. The crossing guard will call the police if you are blocking traffic. Children can wait under the overhang to be
picked up or in the office if you are later.
Make sure you are sending in notes when your child is absent. Ab-
sences are coded by the classroom teacher. If you have a doctor’s note,
please send that in for proper coding in our database.
Thank you all for your help and support during the first part of the
year. We look forward to a great second half of the year.
January
1/13 Geo Bee 3:30—4:30
1/14 Team BCPS Day
Gr. 1 Field Trip to Aquarium 9:30-1:30
1/15 End of 2nd Quarter
1/18 MLK, Jr. Birthday / Schools Closed
1/19 Professional Development/
Schools Closed for Students
PTA Meeting 6 p.m.
1/20 Chess Club Family Night 5:30 p.m.
1/21 Buster Bus Program for Kindergarten
February
2/4 Distribution of Report Cards
2/5 Chess Club Tournament 3-5 p.m.
2/15 Presidents Day, Schools Closed
2/26 Jump Rope for Heart 6:30—7:30 p.m.
Spring Break 3/25—4/3
Return to School April 4th 2016
June 17th 2016, Last Day of School
March
3/4 Professional Development/
Schools Close 3 Hours Early
3/23 Spring Picture Day
3/25—4/3 Spring Break/Schools Closed
The more that you read, the more things
you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places
you'll go.
Volume 16, Issue 5
DATE: January 2016
Essex Elementary School Phone: (410) 887-0117
Amy Grabner, Principal Fax: (410) 887-0118
Randy Quinn, Assistant Principal http://essexes.bcps.org
JANUARY NEWSLETTER
Winter Weather News Remember, if schools are delayed you have several resources to keep you informed:
BCPS Now for Android and iOS
BCPS Web Home Page (links to page displaying emergency announcements)
BCPS TV, Comcast Cable Channel 73 & Verizon Fios Channel 34
BCPS Telephone Information 410-887-5555
Local radio and television stations
Schools-out.com
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Volume 16, Issue 5
SCHOOL NURSE CORNER . . . A message from Nurse Gorman
It has been a pleasure getting to know the students and staff here at Essex. Everyone has been so welcoming!
I just want to send out a few reminders to parents as the cold and flu season comes, be sure that when your child is seen by a doctor, you send the doctor’s note to school for ex-cused absences. Also, if your child is prescribed medication, be sure a medication form is com-pleted so I can dispense the meds properly.
It’s also very important that you send in an extra set of clothing for your child. In the last month, we’ve had quite a few emergencies where the child had to wait for a change of clothes, and it can be embarrassing and uncom-fortable at times.
I have my email open all day long, so if you have an important message, please send me an email, and I will be sure to respond by the end of the school day.
NEED TO KNOW . . . A message from Mrs. Frank
As you know, all students in grades K—5 now have student ID badges which are used to check out their library books. The badges are supposed to stay in school, in their homerooms. If a child takes them home and loses it, or misplaces it at school, they are re-sponsible for the replacement cost of $5.00. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please refer to Rule 3710 One-card badges are to be used for functions such as student attend-ance. One-card badges are the property of BCPS.
KUDOS CORNER . . . A message from Mrs. Miller
Due to the generosity of our families and staff members here at Essex Elementary, the food collected in November and December went to three different organizations! Essex United Methodist Church, St. Clare Catholic Church and St. Johns Lutheran Church, who all sent lovely thank you letters to you for your dona-tion.
Staff from St. Johns Lutheran Church load the many donations onto their truck that will ben-efit families within our community.
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CAFETERIA NEWS CORNER… Miss Millie, Miss Ashley & Miss Sandra are in need of volunteer hostesses! If you have time in the middle of your day and want to wear your best apron, help the little ones with their lunch room needs, then, please get your volun-teer training done, and head on down to the Essex Café! You are guaranteed to put a smile on someone’s face for sure when they see you volunteering your time. Email Ms. Scurto-Diven at [email protected] for more information.
PTA CORNER NEWS . . . Dear Essex Elementary Families,
We hope you have returned rested from a wonderful Winter Break! Looking back, we would like to thank everyone for a great turn out at our Winter Dance! It was a huge success and you have yourselves to thank for such ter-rific support and participation in raising the funds for activities like these. We hope every-one is now enjoying the Chick-Fil-A calendars and Coupon Books that you sold right before the holidays. The PTA profit from these fund-raisers will be put toward a dance in the spring and many other activities for the kids to partici-pate in for the rest of the school year.
We have returned ready to dig into the New Year and the second part of our school year. We are happy to announce that we have one more big fund raiser this year and we will be selling Joe Corbi’s! You can look forward to order forms coming home soon and a turna-round for your order to be just in time for the Super Bowl. As always, we invite any PTA mem-bers to our monthly meetings. We appreciate any input and feedback as we plan future events for your children to enjoy. Our next meeting will take place on January 19 at 6pm.
Keep an eye out for:| January: Joe Corbi’s February: Pizza Johns Night! March: Egg Dying Night
LIBRARY NEWS . . . A message from Mrs. Frank
Students in grades 2-5 have been learn-ing to sign in and use Destiny to search for li-brary books and eBooks. To access Destiny at home, all you need to do is visit Destiny at des-tiny.bcps.org, find Essex Elementary School, and log in at the top using your child’s username and password. A flyer was sent home in the fall with this information. Don’t forget to download the Destiny app on your iPh-one, iPad, or Andrioid device by searching and downloading “Destiny Quest”. After the app is downloaded, type in our Destiny URL (destiny.bcps.org), find Essex Elementary, then log in with your child’s username and pass-word. It’s that easy! Click on Follett Shelf to access our eBooks through your computer or mobile device. Students can also log in to BCPS One with their same username and password to access their grades and county resources. See Mrs. Frank if you need and activation code for parent access to BCPS One.
COMMUNITY CORNER ... A message from Mr. Gray
We are still collecting PULL TABS to help the less fortunate through various charities. Let’s make 2016 a Great Year!
As you recycle your aluminum cans, please set aside the tabs to bring into school office.
Volume 16, Issue 5 Page 4
Essex Branch: 1110 Eastern Boulevard 410-887-0295
www.bcpl.info
January 4, 2015
Dear Essex Students Parents and Guardians,
I want to share some information with you about Ms. Dawn Hoffmaster - a new face coming to Essex for the month of February. In an effort to give emerging leaders a variety of experiences, Baltimore County Public Schools administration is sending current associate principals to various schools to broaden their experience.
For the month of February, Ms. Hoffmaster will be here at Essex Elemen tary to assist our administration and to interact with our students and staff. She will be a regular member of our team. This is an excellent opportunity for us and we look forward to her arrival next month.
Ms. Hoffmaster’s first day at Essex is Monday, February 1, 2015. Please join me in welcoming her and be sure to introduce yourself.
Sincerely,
Amy Grabner
Amy H. Grabner
Principal
Page 5 Volume 16, Issue 5
JANUARY IS ATTENDANCE AWARENESS MONTH … Our goal for the 2015-2016
school year is to ensure that every student attends school regularly. Regular school attendance has a
huge impact on a student’s academic success. It is the key to high school graduation and college and career readiness. Research shows that students who regularly attend school are more likely to read on grade level, less likely to drop out of school, and more likely to graduate on-time. Even as children grow older and more independent, parents play a key role in making sure students get to school on time every day and understand why attendance is so important for success in school and in life. Tips for assuring better attendance:
Make sure your child keeps a regular bedtime and establish a morning routine.
Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
Ensure your child goes to school every day unless they are truly sick
Avoid scheduling vacations or doctor’s appointments when school is in session.
Volume 16, Issue 5 Page 6
TEAM BCPS DAY - JANUARY 14, 2016 Team BCPS Day and a wave of blue pride will return on Thursday, January 14, 2016 throughout the county! All members of Team BCPS, which includes: cur-rent, former and future students, families, staff, volunteers, partners, and sup-porters of the school system are encouraged to wear blue and share messages about what Team BCPS means to them. Students, family members and faculty members are asked to send photos of themselves holding the Team BCPS logo below. Let’s show the county who has the most TEAM BCPS SPIRIT! You can download a colorful logo from the school and county website.
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BECOME A VOLUNTEER! BCPS VOLUNTEER TRAINING RESOURCES
Thank you for your interest in volunteering in Baltimore County Public Schools. Our schools depend on volunteers and value their contributions to enhance the programs and services provided for students. Volunteers are important mem-bers of Team BCPS and help our professional staff sustain effective learning environments, enrich the education and experiences of students and build critical partnerships to increase achievement for all students. Volunteers are essential to the educational process, as they bring knowledge and skills into our schools and strengthen classroom instruction. VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTIONS: Go to the BCPS Website www.bcps.org Click on the COMMUNITY tab Click on the VOLUNTEER WITH BCPS tab You can access the application on and line training as directed. All volunteers must complete the volunteer application and participate in an orientation/training session annually. Step 1: Complete the on line BCPS Application for Volunteer Services. (The school also has copies.) Step 2: Attend a scheduled BCPS volunteer training at any school or complete the online volunteer orientation. You will be provided with a certificate once you successfully complete the training. Step 3: Submit the application and the valid training certificate to the school in which you intend to volunteer. Volunteers may provide hard copies or the documents may be emailed to the school volunteer coordinator. Both docu-ments must be submitted at the same time to be accepted and reviewed by the school staff. Once the application is reviewed and training has been verified, volunteers may be placed by schools and offices ac-cording to identified needs to perform tasks that support our established goals. Goals of the BCPS Volunteer Program
* Expand parental involvement and engagement strategies to meet the unique needs of all families in the school communities. * Acknowledge parents and community members as important partners in the education of all students. * Strengthen the relationship between schools and parents, guardians and community stakeholders through meaningful service opportunities. * Support teachers and staff with the implementation of curriculum and school programs. * Utilize the knowledge and skills of volunteers to promote student achievement. * Offer direct support to students needing additional assistance with assigned tasks. * Assist school staff and students with extra-curricular activities, afterschool programs and fundraising opportunities. * Provide supervision and direction for students while participating in off-campus learning experiences (field trips).
Types of Volunteer Activities
* Classroom Assistant - assisting teachers and students with classrooms activities * Academic Tutoring * School PTA Councils * Area Education Advisory Councils * Music and Sports Booster Programs * Field-trip Chaperones * After School Activities * Student Mentoring * Career Awareness - speaking to students about career pathways and opportunities * Clerical/Office/Library support
The Baltimore County Kindergarten Classroom Volunteer Initiative The Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Baltimore County has partnered with Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) to help our youngest learners through their first year in public school. This opportunity is available ex-clusively for citizens 55 years old and older. (Learn more from a recent blog entry by the RSVP director.) Interested sen-ior citizens can contact RSVP at 410-887-3101 or visit them online at www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/aging/volunteer/rsvp.html.
For additional information about volunteering with Baltimore County Public Schools, please contact The Office of Family & Community Engagement at 410-887-4554 or by email at [email protected].
Page 8 Volume 16, Issue 5
Bay-Vanguard will have a
representative available at
Essex Elementary School
on the following dates:
January 19, 2016
February 16, 2016
March 15, 2016
April 19, 2016
May 17, 2016
Buzz into Saving with a
Busy Bee Account!
Teach Your Children How to
Save For The Future
Minimum deposit of $5.00 to open account. Minor must be the primary account holder
with a parent or guardian as a custodian
and signer on the account.
Interest is compounded daily and credited
quarterly. No monthly maintenance fees.
Save $250.00 in the 2015-16 school year
And your child will receive a special gift.
Bay-Vanguard
Federal Savings Bank
532 Eastern Blvd.
Essex, MD 21221
410-686-5940
Nancy Coomer
Bay-Vanguard Federal Savings Bank is not affiliated with Baltimore County Public
BUSY BEE
Bay-Vanguard Federal Savings Bank
Volume 16, Issue 5 Page 9
Akers [email protected]
Aldon [email protected]
Batchelder [email protected]
Blahut [email protected]
Boursalian [email protected]
Bowings [email protected]
Boyd [email protected]
Butler [email protected]
Champagne [email protected]
Carp [email protected]
Collins [email protected]
Currier [email protected]
Essex Elementary [email protected]
Essex PTA [email protected]
Frank [email protected]
Gorman [email protected]
German-Bennett [email protected]
Gogel [email protected]
Gray [email protected]
Hafez [email protected]
Heil [email protected]
Henn [email protected]
Hiner [email protected]
Holcomb [email protected]
Hosier [email protected]
Howard [email protected]
Howell [email protected]
Jackson [email protected]
Johannes [email protected]
Karolkowski [email protected]
Knepple [email protected]
Knight [email protected]
Levine [email protected]
Little [email protected]
Loehr [email protected]
Markwood [email protected]
Miller, S [email protected]
Neumeister [email protected]
Norton [email protected]
Pasciuto [email protected]
Pivonski [email protected]
Pomeroy [email protected]
Rogers [email protected]
Rostek [email protected]
Sanzone [email protected]
Summers [email protected]
Scurto-Diven [email protected]
Simpson [email protected]
Skeels [email protected]
Weaver [email protected]
You may send a non-emergency
e-mail to your child’s teacher.
Page 10
Join the PTA! Your investment, your child … goes a long way!
Please join us at the next monthly PTA meeting on January 19th.
Membership $8.00
Volume 16, Issue 5