1021 Johnsville Road The Dino Dispatch Sykesville, MD 21784 Eldersburg Elementary School 410-751-3520 Fax 410-751-3553 Cynthia A. Bell—Principal Frank Klauder—Assistant Principal www.carrollk12.org/ees

Principal ’ s Message

Happy New Year! We are starting the year off with milder than usual tem- Vol u me , Is s ue peratures however they fluctuate daily. Please have your child dress appropri- ately. Students go outside for 1/2 hour recess daily if the actual or “feels like” January, 2020 temp is above freezing. Also please label your child’s outerwear. We have many items in our lost and found. Our lost and found is located outside of the office near third grade. If your child has lost an item please have them check. We do clean it out several times a year and donate the unclaimed items to charity. Inside this issue: We often get notes from physicians excusing students from PE. If a stu- dent cannot take PE they also cannot participate in outdoor recess. Students excused from PE will remain indoors for recess. They will be able to choose an Volunteer 2 indoor activity to participate in during this time. We want to make every ef- PBIS/ETM fort to keep your child healthy and safe during their physician recommended Kindergarten Registra- tion period of restricted activity. Student Vacations All parent drop off should be made at the rear of the building. We discour- age cars from the front during the bus windows for safety reasons. If you Counselors Clipboard 3 need to accompany your child into the building then it is necessary to park in the front lot and enter through the main doors. Also if your child is late you Nurses News 4 must come to the front and bring your child in to sign them in. During drop off Media News please remain in the line of cars and have your child exit at the fence. Please do not park and walk students through the parking area. We want to keep all of Emergency Closings/ 5 our students safe. Delays

Kindergarten News 6 Cindy Bell, Principal First Grade News

Testing Dates Second Grade News 7 Third Grade News

5th Grade MISA 5th Grade MCAP 4th Grade MCAP 3rd Grade MCAP Fourth Grade News 8 Fifth Grade News Monday, March 9th Tuesday, April 7th Friday, April 17th Tuesday, April 7th Tuesday, March 10th Thursday, April 9th Monday, April 20th Thursday, April 9th Thursday, March 12th Tuesday April 14th Friday, April 24th Tuesday, April 14th Friday, March 13th Thursday, April 16th Monday, Aril 27th Thursday, April 16th Thursday, April 23rd Friday, May 1st Tuesday, April 21st Thursday, April 30th Monday, May 4th Tuesday, May 5th Thursday, May 7th Friday, May 8th Tuesday, May 12th

Calendar

January 2020 29th – Schools Closed for Students February 2020 2nd– School Reopens 14th—PTA Meeting @ 7pm 4th—Parent Conferences 3:45-7pm 20th—School Closed/M.L.K.Day 4th—Report Cards Distributed 28th – End of Marking Period 11th—PTA Meeting @ 7pm Volunteer Program

We are indeed fortunate to have so many parent volunteers! However, before offering your services in the classroom or as a chaper- one on a field trip, both new and returning volunteers must complete training. Volun- teers must completed this training annually at least 7 school days prior to volunteer- ing. The volunteer training can be completed online this year by going to car- rollk12.org and clicking on Volunteer. Please make sure you complete the entire process to avoid any complication in volunteering. We appreciate our Volunteers! Many additional responsibilities are on your shoulders when you come and help us. Please remember when you are volunteering in the December was a warm school or on a fieldtrip you need to abide by the guidelines reviewed during the volun- month, but cold weather teer training. Confidentiality is very important. Please do not discuss or report what is coming!! Please send you see with a child at school to anyone other than the teacher/administrator. If you your children to school are concerned about something let the teacher or an administrator know. with their winter wear. Thank you for your help!! Students will go outside in temperatures of 32 degrees and above. PBIS/ETM

This week information came home with grades 3-5 about Eldersburg’s Diversity Club. If interested the form needs to be returned promptly due to limited space per grade. Students will then receive the permission form to be filled out with contact information. We look forward to seeing returning stu- dents as well as new become part of this year’s club. As we return after the winter break it is a good time to review the 3R’s ma- trix with your child/children to be sure they understand how to be respectful, responsible and ready to learn in all areas throughout the building. This simple Student step can help us get off to a great new year. Vacations In order to provide the best Kindergarten Registration educational experience we can for our students, as This years Kindergarten Registration Dates have been published. If you know well as allow staff to pre- anyone who has an incoming Kindergartener please share the below dates. pare lessons, we ask that There will be more information to come in the next newsletter. requests for student vaca- Kindergarten Registration Dates—March 9th-13th tions be submitted to the school office for approval prior to them occurring. Thanks for your support!

“Working Together; Learning Forever" P a g e 2 Counselors Clipboard

Hello EES families! Here’s a quick review of what we learned during our school counseling classroom lessons this past month:

Kindergarten Your child learned about emotions with the characters from the movie Inside Out. We talked about the clues people give about their feelings through their facial expressions, body language and tone of voice. We watched an Inside Out video clip and then identified each emotion. Students drew a picture of how they felt at that moment (because feelings change throughout the day) and wrote or drew the reason why they had that feeling. Some book suggestions for home are: The Way I Feel by Janan Cain, My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss, and The Feelings Book by Todd Parr.

First grade Every other Monday I have the pleasure of teaching mindfulness lessons to first grade students. Your child has learned ways to calm his/her body when having a big feeling. Our focus has been on various kinds of breathing including belly breathing, peaceful breaths, flower breaths and squiggle breaths. The last few weeks, they have also been working on their own interactive folder to use as a reminder and resource of the mindfulness strategies they have learned. In addition, during my regular classroom lesson time, they learned how their words/actions/behaviors affect others. We read Everyone by Christopher Silas Neal and then they completed a ‘My Actions and Others’ mini book.

Second grade The focus for second students was on listening and following directions. I wanted to make this fun so we started with a Kid Dance Around video that required listening and then following the directions. Next, I gave oral directions for a farm scene coloring page. The directions were given once, one step at a time. Finally, stu- dents worked in small groups to assemble a lego plane. They were instructed to follow the step-by-step direc- tions. Two books you could read at home to reinforce these skills are Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Lis- ten by Howard Binkow and Listen Buddy by Helen Lester.

Third grade Ever heard of Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun? Well it is a book by Maria Dismondy and tells the story of Lucy who has the courage to be who she is even if her lunch (the book title) is a bit unusual. After discussing the story, students were randomly paired to complete a venn diagram comparing how they were different and the same. Generally speaking, they were surprised to discover they had a lot more in common than they thought they would.

Fourth grade Your child learned about perspectives and how to see things from another person’s point of view. We first summarized the story of the Three Little Pigs and then read The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. We then looked at several pictures from various perspectives and agreed that there are many ways to view things. We finished with a line and dot drawing; ask your child for more information about that. Just wondering . . . Is it a Duck? Or is it a Rabbit?

Fifth grade Everyone wants to be successful, right? Well that was the focus of my classroom lesson in December: the three keys to success. I administered three “job tests” to “unlock” each key – following directions, thinking and concentrating. This was a fun way to remind students they will use these skills their entire lives.

Please refer to the School Counselor’s page on the Eldersburg Elementary website: https:// www.carrollk12.org/schools/elementary/ees/Teams/Pages/SchoolCounselor.aspx for more information and resources. Thank you for your support at home!

“Working Together; Learning Forever" Page 3 Nurses News

Happy New Year!

It is still Flu season. WE survived the first round! Thank you for keeping your children home when they were sick and notifying me of the illnesses. You can continue your support by:

WASH, WASH, WASH YOUR HANDS! This is still the best defense against illness. En- courage your children to wash, especially before meals, using soap and warm water. To en- sure they are taking enough time to adequately kill germs, have them sing the ABC song while scrubbing.

Get plenty of rest. School age children should get 9-11 hours of sleep each night. Grownups should try to get 8 hours.

Drink lots of fluids and eat a balanced diet - especially breakfast! I'm seeing a lot of children with stomachaches and headaches due to hunger. Mrs. Hankinson has breakfast here at Elders- burg, too!

Dress appropriately for cold weather. Please help your child choose warm, comfortable cloth- ing for school each day, including socks. Make sure they are wearing a coat and you may want to consider a hat and gloves as well. Even in cool weather, they need the exercise and fresh air during recess. And I can’t wait for it to SNOW!!!!

Please call or email if you have any questions or concerns. If you have a change in address or phone number, remember to contact Mrs. Costolo in the school office. It is very important to be able to reach you in the event your child becomes ill at school. Have a safe and HEALTHY winter!

Cathy Kasper [email protected]

Media News

Jolabokaflod Family Reading Night is being postponed until February 10th. Thank you for understanding the change. Be sure to mark your cal- endars for February 10th at 6:30 pm. We will be kicking off our 2020 Di- no Readers that night and reading the first chapter together.

“Working Together; Learning Forever" Page 4 Emergency Closings and Delays

In the event that it becomes necessary to close schools for the entire day because of inclement weather (snow or heat), the announcement will be made no later than 6:30 a.m. through the follow- ing media sources: WTTR, Channel 3 and 21 - Prestige Cable (Westminster); WHVR/WYCR (Hanover); WGET (Gettysburg); WFMD, (Frederick); WTHU (Thurmont); WBAL, WCAO, WCBM, WRBS, WPOC, Lite 102, WMIX, WMAR-TV, WBAL-TV, WJZ-TV, WQSR, WWLG AM, WASA, WANN, V103 (Baltimore); WMAL, WTOP, Fox Channel 5, WRC-TV4, WUSA Channel 9 and WJLA-TV (Washington, DC); WJEJ/WWMD (Hagerstown) ; WCRH (Williamsport); WAFY-KEY 103, WXTR (WASHINGTON). If weather conditions are such that the opening of schools might be delayed one (1) hour or more, the notification will be made by the same time and through the same stations as for the closing of schools. In addition to the possibility of schools being closed, delayed or dismissed early due to winter conditions (snow, ice), there is the possibility of early dismissal due to excessive heat. On days when temperatures are forecasted to exceed 95 degrees and humidity is expected to be above 50 percent, parents should be prepared for the possibility of an early dismissal. If schools will be dismissed earlier than usual, notification will be made through the same stations. Please keep tuned to your radio or TV on inclement weather days.

A. School Opening Delayed One (1) Hour: EES Vision School will begin at 8:45 a.m. Our vision is to work to- gether to educate the whole child with high B. School Opening Delayed Two (2) Hours: standards in a safe and School will begin at 9:45 a.m. for a two hour delay nurturing environment.

C. School Closing To Be One (1) Hour Earlier Than Usual: Dismissal time will begin at 1:15 p.m. EES Mission The mission of EES is to D. School Closing To Be Two (2) Hours Earlier Than Usual: empower all our students Dismissal will begin at 12:15 p.m. to become Respectful, Responsible citizens who are Ready to succeed in Scheduled (monthly) 2 hour 45 minute Early Dismissal: the global community. Dismissal will begin at 11:30 a.m.

“Working Together; Parents can keep youngsters safe by arranging emergency back-up care. Children should be Learning Forever" taught what to do and where to go when schools close unexpectedly and parents/guardians are not at home.

Procedures for Closing Schools for Late Openings on Two-Hour and Forty- Five Minute Early Dismissal Days System-wide Two-hour and Forty-five Minute Early Dismissals If weather or another condition warrants a late opening on a day when a system-wide early dis- missal for students is scheduled, Mr. Guthrie will close schools rather than bring students in on a delayed schedule and send them home on an early dismissal.

Elementary Students Two-hour and Forty-five Minute Early Dismissals If weather, or another condition, warrants a late opening on days when an early dismissal is sched- The beginning of the year uled for elementary students, Mr. Guthrie will close schools for elementary students only rather is a great time to replenish than bring students in on a delayed schedule and send them home on an early dismissal. Middle your child's school sup- and High Schools will be open and operate on the announced delayed opening schedule. plies!! Items may in- clude; pencils, glue sticks, crayons and paper.

“Working Together; Learning Forever" P a g e 5 Kindergarten News

Happy New Year! Your child has been working very hard learning upper and lowercase letters, letter sounds, and letter formation. We have been putting all those skills together and applying them to blending sounds and spelling words (CVC). Please continue to read and practice sight words nightly. In Math, we will begin to review for the January Benchmark test. Remember to use the review calendar that was sent home mid-December. We will begin to work on mastering facts to 20 for plus and minus zero, as well as plus and minus one. With the unpredictable weather please dress your child appropriately for days we go outside for recess. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

First Grade News

We hope that everyone had a restful winter break. We are looking forward to get- ting back into our routine. Reminders: This is a great time to replenish student supplies. Most students are in need of glue sticks and pencils. Students go outside when it is 32 degrees or above. Please make sure they have a winter coat, gloves, hats, etc. so that they stay warm when outside.

ELA As reading instruction continues, we are continuing to work hard to discuss the features of fiction and nonfiction text. As we meet in reading groups, we are also continuing to prac- tice retelling fiction and non-fiction stories as well as discuss traits of the characters and draw conclusions about what we have read. First graders are making wonderful progress so far this year! This year we are working on 3 types of writing; personal narrative, informational, and opin- ion. With all 3 types of writing we are talking about keeping the audience in mind when writ- ing and how we write differently for different audiences. We are working hard to add lively details to our writing that express excitement and other feelings.

Math: We will continue to explore numbers to 120. We will be learning about place value as we manipulate and compare tens and ones. We will be learning how to apply what we know and learn about place value to solve real world problems. Please continue to prac- tice your basic facts. Dreambox is supplied by the county and is accessible for your student at home! Pease complete the review calendar with your student to help prepare them for the January Benchmark Test.

“Working Together; Learning Forever" P a g e 6 Second Grade

In Humanities, students will focus on the genre of Expository text in order to ask and answer questions to demonstrate an understanding of key details in a text and identify the main topic.

In Writer’s Workshop, the students will focus on writing an opinion piece in the form of a letter, bro- chure and/or book review. Your child will learn about noun-verb agreement during grammar les- sons and Y as a vowel and r-controlled vowels (ar, or, er, ir, and ur) during daily Fundation lessons.

At the end of January, all students will take the CCPS Mid-Year Mathematics Assessment. The as- sessment will be an opportunity for your child to show all that he or she has learned in math during the first half of the school year. A review calendar will come home on January 3rd as a way for you to review and talk about specific math concepts. Please continue to complete nightly fact practice and encourage students to sign up to test for playground facts. In Science, students will conclude the light and sound unit with a final design challenge and will wrap up the social studies unit: Re- sponsible Citizens in our Community.

Third Grade News

Third Graders are working hard to become independent learners in all academic areas. Con- tinue to look at the homework book for any communications. Please check your child’s sup- plies to see if he/she needs new ones. Math In January, students will continue to develop an understanding of the meanings of multiplication and division through activities and problems involving equal –sized groups, arrays, and area sized models. Students will come to understand multiplication as finding an unknown product and division as finding an unknown factor in these situations. Students will continue to engage in strategic practice in order to become fluent with multi- plication and division facts. **Fluency is defined as solving facts quickly and accurately without halting, stumbling or reversing oneself. Memory of a basic fact means that a child can give an automatic response. Please continue to prac- tice math facts at home. Science In science, third graders are still working on our Weather and Climate unit. Students are working to define weather, climate and meteorologist. They are learning the names and purpose for the weather instruments used by meteorologists. Students are examining how weather and climate data can be collected and analyzed to determine weather patterns in a particular region. The students will be collecting data to make predictions and find weather patterns. The information they gain from analyzing the data will help them to understand climate and why different regions have different climates. Humanities This month students will be using their Reading skills to increase their Social Studies knowledge. Through a variety of media, we will learn about the five regions of the United States. Students will acquire and use in- formation about the United States and identify different ways of defining a region. Additionally, we will de- scribe population distribution of places and regions such as rural, urban, and suburban. Our ELA focus will be on understanding main idea, recalling key details, and identifying the purpose of text features. Through opinion writing, students will express which region of the United States they would prefer to live. Our Word Study unit will focus on modifying the base word by adding a prefix or suffix. Please encourage your child to read every night and make sure you sign the homework book each night. Also, some students are running out of supplies. Please replenish your child’s supplies if needed.

“Working Together; Learning Forever" Page 7 Fourth Grade News

ELA Fourth graders ended 2019 on a very positive note! They finished off December writing opin- ion papers on one of their favorite topics, SNOW! We also cleaned out parts of their ELA binders in order to have a fresh start. I asked them to leave certain papers in their binders to act as a resource for later in the year. Upon returning, we will move back into the Wonders Anthology and read expository text and biographies. We will also begin another narrative piece of writing that we will publish on the computers. As always, if you have any questions or con- cerns, please feel free to contact me. Happy New Year! Math Fourth grade math will begin the year with unit 4. In unit four we will gain an understanding of improper fractions and their relationship to mixed numbers. Are objectives are as follows: • We will add mixed numbers with like denominators by constructing a number line to visually represent the sum. • We will subtract mixed numbers with like denominators by constructing area models to visually represent the differ- ence. • We will add and subtract mixed numbers with like denominators by finding equivalent fractions and writing equations to find the sum or difference. • We will add and subtract fractions by constructing a number line and writing an equation to represent the word prob- lem. • We will add and subtract fractions by creating area models and writing an equation to justify the sum or difference of a word problem. We will also be taking the January Benchmark test. Each student has a review calendar that they must complete. Be sure to check on this calendar nightly. SS/Science In January, students will learn about different types of energy, including electricity, heat, light, and sound. We will differentiate between static and current electricity, discuss various electrical appliances, and even make our own circuit boards. Our Energy Unit will also include information about conductors and insulators and electrical cir- cuits. Fourth graders will experiment with potential and kinetic energy, and energy transfer. We will even discuss the difference between renewable and non-renewable types of energy and their sources. As before, students will take notes during each lesson. These notes and class handouts can be used to study for quizzes. All missing information should be gathered as soon as students return to class after an absence. Thank you for helping your child in developing life-long study Fifth Grade News

ELA  We will be working with Wonders realistic fiction, as well as non-fiction text. We will also continue with opinion writing.

Math  We will be taking the unit 4 division test in January. The January benchmark test will also be administered. Review calendars are required and students will re- ceive 10 points for completion.

Science  We will be wrapping up the survivor unit in science. Then we will begin earth and space.

“Working Together; Learning Forever" Page 8