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Upcoming Dates!
- November 8th-18th- Parent Teacher Virtual Conference sign up window opens for parents to select a conference with their child(ren)’s ELA teacher. Parents will be able to select a conference time in HCPSS Connect. Please refer to this document for instructions about how to sign up for a conference via HCPSS Connect.
- November 10th- 1st quarter report cards available for parents to view in HCPSS Connect at 5:00 pm
- November 15th-19th- JHES Book Fair! See message below about in person and online shopping.
- November 16th- Last day to order from the Square One Art fundraiser to receive free shipping to Jeffers Hill! See message below for more information.
- November 17th- OMHS Food Pantry Open from 3:00-5:00 pm
- Families experiencing food insecurity can pick up shelf stable and fresh food in the Oakland Mills High School parking lot from 3:00-5:00 pm. Contactless pick up for safety.
- November 19th- Thanksgiving Food Box Giveaway at Bridgeway Church, 3:00-7:00 pm, See flyer for more information.
- November 22nd-24th- Parent Teacher Virtual Conferences
- November 22nd-23rd- Schools close 3 hours early (12:30 pm) for students due to Parent Teacher Virtual Conferences
- November 24th- Schools Closed for Students due to Parent Teacher Virtual Conferences.
- November 25th-26th- Schools and offices closed for Thanksgiving holiday
New information is highlighted below.
IMPORTANT MESSAGE re: Safety During Morning Arrival
If you are driving your child to school in a car, you need to be in the car loop--no exceptions. At no time should a student be dropped off anywhere along Majors Lane. We have witnessed potentially dangerous situations of students crossing Majors Lane during a very busy time. DO NOT drop your child off anywhere along Majors Lane. Please use the car loop for everyone’s safety--students and staff. If students are walking to school, they need to use the designated crosswalk staffed with Howard County crossing guards at the intersection of Majors Lane and Tamar Drive.
This includes letting students out of the car in the NO PARKING zone on Majors Lane adjacent to the building near the stop sign. Parking in this area makes visibility difficult for cars to turn right out of the parking lot.
Accessing your Child’s 1st Quarter Report Card
- Log in to HCPSS Connect Synergy using parent/guardian credentials
- Select More Options from the left panel
- Select Report Cards from the middle
- Select the report card you wish to access
Reporting Student Progress on K-2nd Grade Report Cards
As you are interpreting your child’s report card, keep in mind that primary students do not receive traditional grades and there are no failing grades. In primary grades, the score does not correlate to a typical letter grade that many of us are familiar with from our own experiences in high school and/or college. A “2 out of 3” score on Canvas simply indicates the performance of the student is not yet independent with a skill or concept. Please note that teachers may also use observational data that is not reflected in Canvas to determine final grades. You may see the following percentages used in Canvas Grade books:
- I = 100% - 66.7%
- I = Independent (Your child can complete the work in this content area independently)
- W = < 66.7% - 33.4%
- W = With assistance (Your child needs staff assistance to complete the work in this area)
- N = < 33.4% - 0%
- N = Not apparent at this time (Your child cannot demonstrate the expected learning or work in this area at this time)
For students in first grade, the report card will not indicate if a student is working below, on, or above grade level until the end of the 2nd marking period.
Message from the Media Center re: JHES Book Fair
Great news JHES families! The Book Fair is HERE. We originally thought we would be unable to have something physically in the building, but we have books to sell for 1 week only! This book fair, both in person and online ENDS Friday, Nov. 19. All students may browse the online book fair and create wish lists online by visiting https://efairs.follettbookfairs.com/guest/home?classCode=M53XL
You can send your student with a Follett gift card, cash, or a check made out to Jeffers Hill Elementary. Don’t forget to include 6% tax. Any questions, please contact tanisha_yi@hcpss.org.
Message from Mrs. Odom re: the Square One Art Fundraiser
Square 1 Art: LAST CHANCE for free shipping to school if you order by Tuesday, 11/16. Orders will arrive to school the first week of December. This Square 1 fundraiser raises money for the PTA and for clay for our students to use in art class!
Square 1 gifts are wonderful to give friends and family for holidays, Mother's or Father's Day, or birthdays! I am so proud of the work my students did--and they are too! What a wonderful way of sharing your child's artistic talents with others!
If you lost your catalog and need your order code, you can look it up online at https://shop.square1art.com/Shop/customer/myart or email Mrs. Odom at susan_odom@hcpss.org.
Accessing your Child’s MAP Test Results
MAP test results are entered in Synergy the Friday after a student takes the test. It can take up to 24 hours to become visible for an individual student.
To access previous test scores:
- Log in to HCPSS Connect
- Select More Options from the left panel
- Select Standardized Test Scores from the middle
Detailed PDF home reports are available in Synergy. To access home reports:
- Log in to HCPSS Connect
- Select More Options from the left panel
- Select Report Cards from the middle
- Select the applicable report from the Student's MAP Reports section.
If your child did not participate in the most recent administration, a report may still appear based on the previous administration. Additional information on MAP testing and how to interpret the report can be found online.
Young Author’s Contest Grades 1-5
Does your child enjoy writing and want to showcase their work? Students in grades 1 through 5 can enter their short story and/or poem into the Young Authors’ Contest. The story needs to reflect their creativity, use appropriate language, and story structure. If they would like to write a poem, it should be creative and has appropriate use of language and imagery. See the contest guidelines below, write and type up the original story and/or poem, have a peer or adult edit the work, fill out the cover sheet/entry form, and turn it in by January 10, 2022. Best of luck to all and happy writing! If you have any questions you can email renee_sanudo@hcpss.org, robin_barrett@hcpss.org, or jill_reynolds@hcpss.org.
Young Authors’ Contest Rules
Who: Students in Grades 1 – 5
What: Write a poem and/or a short story
- Entries must be original work
- Use 12 point font in Times New Roman.
- Short story entry must range between 100-400 words (gr. 1-2) and 300-800 words (gr. 3-5).
- Poem entry will consist of a single poem, any style, and must range between 25-150 words (all grade levels).
- Entries must not include graphics.
- Each entry must include a completed cover sheet signed by the student author’s parent.
- Entries due January 10, 2022
DIGITAL RULES: Save your entry to a WORD document. Also save the typed cover sheet electronically. School winners will be asked to email their story and/or poem to Mrs. Sanudo, Mrs. Barrett, or Mrs. Reynolds so that we can submit the winning story and poem to the county level contest. YAC Cover Sheet
Virtual November Parent Teacher Conferences- Sign ups are now live through November 18th
Fall parent teacher conferences will take place with the ELA Teacher on Monday, November 22nd and Tuesday, November 23rd. Some teachers may offer conferences on Wednesday, November 24. Ms. Strawhorn will meet with families of 4th grade math students. She will meet with families of 5th grade math students during the winter conference window.
The parent teacher conference sign up window opens on Monday, November 8 and closes on Thursday, November 18. Each conference will be 15 minutes. Parents will be able to sign up for a conference time via HCPSS Connect. Please refer to this document for instructions about how to sign up for a conference via HCPSS Connect.
Message from the Oakland Mills High School Food Pantry
The OM Food Pantry needs your help! We are now serving an average of 80-85 families (almost 400 people!!) each month, which means our shelves are pretty much emptied each month. If you would like to pick up a few extra items while doing your shopping this weekend, we would be extra grateful. We are in most need of:
- pasta
- mac 'n cheese
- mashed potatoes
- stuffing
- gravy
- oatmeal
- snacks
- jelly
- ramen
- diapers (sizes 1-6)
- baby wipes
Donations can be brought to the front office of OMHS (9410 Kilimanjaro Road, Columbia, MD) during school hours. If you have a larger donation, please reach out to Ashleigh Magrin (ashleigh_magrin@hcpss.org), teacher at OMHS, so that we can arrange a time for you to drop off and we can come meet you with a cart. We also happily accept monetary donations, which go towards purchasing fresh produce and bread each month. Also, if you prefer shopping online or have out-of-town folks that would like to help us, check out our Amazon wish list.
The food pantry will be open for distribution next on Wednesday, November 17 from 3-5pm.
Thank you very much for your support!
HCPSS Community News and Programs Site
In response to community requests for resources, HCPSS’ new Community News and Programs website makes it easy for families to find educational and recreational resources, events and after-school programs beyond the school day by non-profit organizations.”
Community organizations requesting their announcements be shared in school newsletters should visit community-programs.hcpss.org for more information. Questions should be directed to the Public Information Office at publicinfo@hcpss.org.
