Sandymount Elementary School 2222 Old Westminster Pike Finksburg, MD 21048 410-751-3215/Fax 410-751-3925

December 2017

CHIPMUNK CHATTER

S—Strategic Thinkers

E—Excited Learners

S—Successful Leaders

Shakira Murphy, Principal

Stacy Kowaleviocz, Assistant Principal

Sandymount

Food Pantry

Open: 10:00 am—3:00 pm

Every School Day

During PTA Meetings

Or By Appointment

410-751-3215

Dear Sandymount Families,

We have wonderful news to share! We had 174 families visit Sandymount during American Education Week. This large presence is a strong indication of the dedication and commitment of the Sandymount community to the education of our children. In addition, we would like to thank all who attended parent-teacher conferences and our wonderful volunteers who donate countless hours to our school, both in and out of the classroom. We appreciate the resounding support we receive from our parent-school community.

During the months of December and January, we will be assessing students to monitor their progress in reading and math. Students will be given a variety of reading assessments and the Carroll County Mid-Year assessment. Although it takes time to give assessments, the information we gain from them will help to guide our instruction so we can better meet students’ needs. The information will also be used to monitor our School Improvement Plan. Please be sure to review information that is sent home with your child to ensure that you stay well informed.

The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and the Carroll County Public School System are seeking nominations for the annual Outstanding Teacher Awards. The deadline for nominations is January 5th. Nominators are urged to nominate teacher(s) who exempli-fy the very best of the education profession and explain why their nominee deserves this recognition. All nominated teachers will be invited to the Chamber’s awards program on March 21, 2018, when eight finalists will be named. These eight teachers will be eligible for the Carroll County Teacher of the Year Award presented by Carroll County Public Schools. You may submit a nomination online at www.carrollk12.org and clicking on the link provid-ed on the main screen. We hope that you consider nominating an outstanding teacher at Sandymount Elementary.

Winter weather is definitely upon us! Please remind students to dress appropri-ately so that they are able to enjoy recess outside as often as possible. Inclement weather could disrupt schedules. Please be aware of the inclement weather policy and procedures and review with your child(ren) what they should do if school is delayed or dismissed early because of weather conditions.

As we look forward to 2018, we want to wish everyone wonderful winter holidays with your family and friends. May the New Year bring much happiness, success, and joy to all Sandymount families!

Sincerely, Shakira Murphy Stacy Kowaleviocz Principal Assistant Principal

Page 2 CHIPMUNK CHATTER

December 7 — PTA Meeting—Meeting Center—

6:00-7:00 p.m.

December 8 — Hearing Vision Recheck—

Kindergarten Planning — 9:30-11:30 a.m.

December 12 — Bread making —9:30-11:00 a.m. — Cafeteria

December 14 — Winter Concert — Gym — 10:00-11:00 a.m.

December 14 — Winter Chorus and Instrumental Concert — Gym —

6:30-8:00 p.m.

December 15 — Interims for K-2

December 25 — January 1 — Schools/Offices Closed for Christmas/

Winter Break

January 2 — Schools Reopen

Notes from the Music Room

The big event in December is our Winter Chorus and Instrumental concert on Thursday December 14 at 10 AM and 6:30 PM. (note the even-ing time is earlier than in the past).

Parents, friends and family are welcome at either or both concerts. Families of chorus members please refer to the letter of November 27 for final details on dress, etc. We are very excited to share our hard work with everyone!

Also in December, our Fifth graders will have the op-portunity to audition for the 92nd annual Eisteddfod Hon-ors chorus. We can choose 8 fifth graders to represent our schools. Students who are interested should see Mrs. Ben-son the week of November 27 to get a permission slip to try out.

Our third graders did a marvelous job on their home-made instruments! The problem solving and creativity the kids showed was out of this world! Many thanks to the par-ents who supported this project. Be sure to check out the kids' creations in the main hallway showcases.

Our second graders will be studying the Nutcracker Bal-let in December.

Go to our classroom website at http://chippersmusicroom.weebly.com/ for lots of resources, vid-eos and information to support this unit.

During this hectic time of year, I hope you can find time to take in a concert of holiday music from your child's feed-er school, or visit the Carroll County Arts Council for a movie or to see the Gallery of Gifts and the Wreath display. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at http://bsomusic.org has several family oriented programs in December. Best wishes for a safe, happy and holiday season and a wonderful New Year from the Music room!

Early Dismissal Days

March 9

April 10

June 14

(1:15 dismissal)

PARCC/MSA

2017-2018

The CCPS testing date window for

the PARCC and MSA testing are

below. Sandymount will provide our

specific testing dates when they are

scheduled.

PARCC—Grades 3-5— April 23—May 3

Grade 5 students Science MSA—March 5-8

Grade 2 CoGat — March 21-April 6

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Parents are always welcome to contact a teacher for

a conference. Sandymount will have one final confer-

ence evenings this school year on February 21

Conferences will be scheduled for 20 minutes

from 4:30-7:40. You may contact the school office to

schedule your conference (410-751-3215).

Interim reports will be sent home on December 15 to students in grades K,

1, and 2. Interims will not be sent home to students in grades 3, 4, and 5. Parents in those

grades will have access to grades throughout the year via Home Access Center. Report cards will be available on the Home Access Center and a paper copy will be distributed four times a year.

Page 3 CHIPMUNK CHATTER

Mrs. Moore’s website http://mrsmooresartpalette.weebly.com

News from the Art Palette

Congratulations to Shaun Billings! His ar twork was on display at the Walter ’s Ar t Museum November 15-26. Fourteen stu-

dents represented Carroll County Public Schools. All students will be working with clay this month.

Kindergarteners are creating clay turtles and glazing them. First graders are making colorful pinch pots using clay and glaze.

Second grade students will use clay to sculpt a white snowman. Third graders are rolling out clay to make a coil pot. In fourth

grade students are making a clay bell which will include an animal handle. Fifth graders will create a clay textured dish.

Ideas for the holidays:

How to draw books, books on artists, trip to a museum, crayons, calligraphy pen or markers, drawing pencils, sketch book, oil

based clay, play dough, Model Magic, box of watercolors, tempera (poster) paint, origami paper, charcoal sticks, markers, sten-

cils, fancy scissors, construction paper, glitter glue, gems, stitchery kits, stamps and stamp pad, pipe cleaners (stems), yarn,

chalk, and art kits.

Donations: small plastic margarine containers with lids, and please save those cardboard tubes from your holiday wrapping pa-

per.

Sandymount Café Reminders

Parents are welcome to have lunch with

their child during their lunch time. For

safety and liability reasons, please do

not bring siblings. A special guest ta-

ble is provided for parents wishing to have lunch with

their child. If anyone other than a parent is coming

for lunch, a parent is required to send in a note with

the child giving permission for that person to have

lunch with their child. You are welcome to purchase a

school lunch or provide yourself with a lunch made at

home. Purchased food from a fast food restaurant is

not permitted.

Party Invitations

Please be sure that all invitations to private outside events

(birthday parties, etc.) are delivered outside the school

setting.

We encourage parents

and guardians to ac-

company children on

trips when possible. At

times the number of

chaperones is limited by

available bus space or

allocation from the lo-

cation we are visiting.

Chaperones are to be parents or legal

guardians over the age of 21. Please be

sure you have completed the required vol-

unteer training 7 school days prior to sign-

ing up to chaperone. The volunteer

schedule is available on the CCPS website

at carrollk12.org.

When ringing the doorbell,

please only press once. We

need time to get in the security

program in order to unlock

the door. When the doorbell is pressed a

second time when we are in the process of

unlocking the door, it blocks us from doing

so and we have to start our process again.

Thanks for your patience.

Page 4 CHIPMUNK CHATTER

ADA STATEMENT

The Carroll County Public Schools (CCPS) is firmly committed to creating equal employment and edu-cational opportunities for all persons with regard to its employment practices and in the provision of services, programs, and activities.

The CCPS does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, genetic information, marital status, mental or physical disability, ancestry or national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. The CCPS proves non-discriminatory access to school facilities in accordance with its policies and regulations regarding the community use of schools (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).

The following person has been designated to han-dle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination poli-cies:

Gregory J. Bricca Directory of Research and Accountability 125 North Court Street

New Security Measures to Help Ensure Student Safety

Visitors entering a CCPS building will need to present a photo ID in order to enter the building. The photo ID must be made visible in the camera system to be allowed access to the building. Once the visitor has entered the building they will proceed to the main office where they will present their identification to be scanned to receive a visitor sticker with their picture on it to wear while in the building. All visitors must display a valid visitor badge. All CCPS employ-ees will be required to wear their employee ID’s while in any CCPS building.

Carroll Co. Public School Policy regarding Late Arrivals and Leaving Early

Your child should be in their classroom, seated and ready to learn at 9:30 am. If your child is arriving 9:30 am or later, a par-

ent must come into the office to sign in the child.

LATE ARRIVAL: Any student who arrives at school within two hour of the start of the school day shall be considered “tardy” in the a.m. However, a student arriving at school more than two hour late will be marked absent one-half day (absent in the morning).

LEAVING EARLY: Any student leaving school within two hour of regular dismissal shall be considered ‘tardy’ in the p.m. However, a student leaving school more than two hour before regular dismissal time shall be considered absent one-half day (absent in the afternoon).

ABSENCE: A student is counted absent for a full day if the student is present one hour or less of the school day. Please email us at sesattendance@carrollk12.org or send in a note the following day with a reason for the absence.

Attendance Reporting

sesattendance@carrollk12.org

We are pleased to have an email which families can use to report student absences, changes in afternoon pick up, and general communication with the school. When reporting an absence please include your child’s name, teacher name, the date of the absence, your name, and the reason for the absence. If you are reporting a change in the afternoon transportation arrangements the email should be sent prior to 1:00 pm. In that email include the child’s name, teacher name, the reason and the change in transportation, and who will pick up your child or what bus they will ride.

Our daily attendance notification will continue this year. This service will automatically call the first parent/guardian listed at the first phone number listed on the emergency card if your child has been marked absent from school and the reason is unverified.

You are always welcome to call the school (410-751-3215) to report an absence or send a note in the next day. We still require the reason for the absence when calling into the school.

Homework Requests and Vacations

While we recognize that many trips provide valuable learning experiences, the increase we are seeing in lost school time

due to vacations is very concerning. Teachers are receiving requests to provide 1-3 weeks worth of work in advance of trips. To prepare this work takes valuable time away from their classroom preparation and from stu-dents. When a teacher receives a parent request for homework due to a vacation (minimum 3 school days advance notice) some basic assign-ments will be provided. All other work will be collected during the course of the absence and will be provided upon return. Please be aware that loss of instructional time due to vacations can have a negative impact on student learning and possibly grades. Many activities are lab or discus-sion based and cannot be duplicated outside of the classroom.

Parent Drop-Off Procedures

1. Upon entering the Sandymount entrance, drive toward the back of the school (1st and 2nd grade side of the building), keep to the right of the yellow center line.

2. Once at the loop in the rear of the building (near dumpsters), go around the outside loop keeping to the right, and proceed down the side by the curb.

3. DO NOT STOP at back entrance (entrance for deliveries and daycare drop-off).

4. There are zebra lines //// painted and signs indicating the student drop-off area.

5. Stop and a staff member will help your child exit your vehicle. A staff member will also be at the door. Remind children to be ready to exit your vehicle promptly, since at least six cars or vans can be unloading at the same time.

6. At all times, private vehicles are to yield to school buses and pedestrians.

CHIPMUNK CHATTER Page 5

Visitation Guidelines Parents and legal guardians are encouraged to visit schools to meet administrators and staff, to view the facilities, to gain

knowledge of the instructional program, to volunteer, and to attend special events and celebrations. At the same time, it is important that

such visits not interrupt instruction, distract students or staff, or interfere with other students’ right to privacy.

The following guidelines apply to requests for visiting classrooms and lunchrooms.

1. For security reasons, all visitors shall sign in at the main office upon arriving at the school.

2. Any person wishing to observe a class in which their child is in attendance shall arrange the visit in advance with the teacher and

principal. An administrator or designee may be available throughout the observation to answer questions. Every effort shall be made

to limit interference with instruction and not to distract students or staff during a visitation. Visitors will be asked to remain seated in

a designated area and will not be permitted to speak to staff or students during class. Should a parent/legal guardian have questions

for the teacher, a separate appointment shall be scheduled for that purpose. Visitors wishing to observe a class are asked to make ar-

rangements for other children in their care in order to minimize disruptions. Classroom observations shall last no longer than two (2)

hours, include no more than two (2) individuals at a time, and be limited to one (1) time per marking period. If a representative of the

family (i.e., advocate, attorney, etc.) is observing, that visit shall count as the quarterly observation.

3. To protect the privacy rights of students, the class may not be videoed or audio-taped, and no pictures may be taken. Cell phones,

laptops, and other technology may not be used during the visitation and should be left in the main office or kept out of sight.

4. Students not enrolled in Carroll County Public Schools are prohibited from visiting or shadowing other students while school is in

session.

5. Parents/legal guardians who wish to eat lunch with their child in the school’s lunchroom shall sign in at the school’s office. Parents/

guardians who bring food for their child shall not bring food for or share food with other students. If an adult other than the parent or

legal guardian wishes to visit during lunch, that adult must have the written permission from the parent or legal guardian.

6. School administrators may terminate a visit when a visitor interrupts instruction, distracts students or staff, or interferes with other

students’ right to privacy.

7. Trespassers may be arrested and prosecuted. Revised 7/06, 5/12

Page 6 CHIPMUNK CHATTER

ACCESSING HOME ACCESS CENTER

Home Access Center (HAC) is available for parents and legal guardians to login and view information pertaining to their students in grades 3-5. Please follow these directions to login to your account:

1. Go to Carroll County Public Schools website at www.carrollk12.org

2. Click on the ‘Home Access Center’ link on the bottom left hand side of the homepage.

3. A new page will open; click the ‘Request Password’ link.

4. Enter the email address you provided on your student’s emergency card. You will receive an email to that ac-count with a link to a web page. If the email doesn’t appear within several minutes check your junk folder and make sure it wasn’t delivered there. It will come from donotreply@carrollk12.org.

5. Click the link from the email message and follow the instructions on-screen. You will be prompted to answer three questions about one of your students. Once you have answered the questions correctly your password will appear on-screen. Click the link on that page to be taken to the HAC login screen.

6. Login using your email address and the password that was displayed on-screen. After logging in be sure to click ‘Profile” in the top right-hand corner and identify a new password.

Notes from the Nurses Cold/flu season is in full swing. Just few reminders – If a child has a fever of 100.0 or above, please

keep them home. This is a sign of illness and students should not be in school. To return to school, students

need to be fever free for 24 hours without medication. Also, please review with your child coughing/sneezing

into the arm and importance of handwashing.

Medications: If a medication is needed in school, a CCPS medication form needs to be completed and signed by

parent/guardian and MD, PA, CRNP. This applies to over the counter medications and prescription medica-

tions. Also, MEDICATIONS CANNOT BE TRANSPORTED BY STUDENTS. This is for the safety of the stu-

dents and is CCPS policy.

Students can carry non-medicated cough drops with a note from parent/guardian. However, if a student car-

ries cough drops, they cannot share them with other students.

With cold weather here, students have problems with chapped lips. Students can carry chap stick. Again,

they should not share with other students.

Illness/injury: If your child is returning from an extended illness/injury, please send in any doctor’s paperwork

with instructions/ restrictions for your child.

Clothing: The nurses’ office is in need of sweatpants for girls/boys sizes 5/6 thru 8/10.

Wishing all of you a safe and healthy holiday season!

Nurse Lonnie and Nurse Donna

Page 7 CHIPMUNK CHATTER

Media Messages From Ms. Boggs

What’s Happening in Media?

We’ve had a busy fall in the media center. We had a wonderful turn out for our 4th

Annual Star Wars Reading Night. Students and parents enjoyed meeting some of

the characters, including R2D2. Thank you to all of the teachers, parents, middle

school volunteers, and costumed characters who made the night possible.

The Battle of the Books has begun. Melanie Fitz, head of children’s services at the

Finksburg Branch Library, came to talk with 4th and 5th grade students about the

Battle of the Books. She shared book trailers and book talks with us about the 10

battle books. We have 9 teams competing this year. Thank you to the parent and

teacher coaches who are volunteering their time to coach a team. Save the date: April 20, 2018 to attend the Battle of

the Books at Winer’s Mill High School. The Battle begins at 6:30 pm. Come cheer for our Sandymount teams!

The students and teachers at Sandymount have checked out 5,445 books so far this school year! Keep Reading Chip-

munks! If you enjoy organizing, we could use some parent volunteers to help shelve books.

This fall many of our media lessons were focused on finding the information we need in the media center and digital citi-

zenship. Our goal is for students to be responsible users of information and to be safe online. As we head into December,

we will be participating in The Hour of Code.

Look for the Password Brochure. It will come out separately by School Messenger.

Mindspace

Monthly Lessons in Guidance and Health Classes

November’s mindfulness lessons took us across the United

States as we learned about traditions of Native Americans of the East and West Coasts.

While we took a moment to recognize that Native Americans still live among us today,

we focused upon their historical gratitude for nature, and how they showed it by keeping

their land clean, and not wasting its bounty. We, in turn, chose people for whom we have

gratitude because of a kind action they showed to us. We created totems of gratitude up-

on which we shared a kindness done for us, and how we would return this kindness as a

way of expressing our gratitude. (Of course, we added an ocean creature to the top of our

totems to continue with our ocean theme!) We discovered that taking moments to notice

the people and things around us that we may take for granted, and instead feel gratitude

toward them, helps us to have a calm mind and body. The positive mindset gratitude

gives us helps us to be better friends, better family members, better students, and better

citizens of our world.