Principal’s Message Dear Parents,

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful time with family and friends, as well as had time to

relax and rejuvenate. It is so wonderful to see all the parents, staff, and students back at the school after the

wonderful winter break.

This month our staff will be reviewing progress on goals of our School Improvement Plan. We have three academic

goals: implement Restorative Practice/Community Circles (which provides support in social emotional leaning) and

provide rigorous and explicit instruction on CCSS Reading and Writing Standards. We will continue to analyze

academic, attendance, and discipline data as well as look at the community partnerships we are building. Please

note that the 2019-2020 School Improvement Plan can be viewed on our school website. We also have a hard copy

in the main office for your viewing pleasure. With any discipline or attendance concerns, we will communicate with

you in writing or by telephone. Please remember to have your child come to school daily and on time each

morning. Students may enter the building at 9:15 a.m. where they can go to their classrooms to start off their day

with breakfast. After 9:30 a.m., they are considered tardy and must be signed into the main office by a

parent/guardian. Students signed out prior to 3:55 p.m. are charged with an early dismissal. We want to work

together to ensure a consistent routine and academic success for all our students.

We also want to remind you that Ferndale is a School of Distinction for Wellness! We have worked quite hard for

three years to earn this great achievement. We will be reapplying this spring to renew our status. When you visit our

school, you will see a poster in the main office as well as a banner in our multipurpose room. Please help us to

celebrate this achievement by modeling and practicing wellness ideas such as eating healthy, exercising, getting

enough rest, and taking care of our brains by reading, meditating, and resting.

Please remember that Ferndale has a Twitter account and a Facebook account. Periodically, we will post pictures of

learning and activities from around the school, as well as important announcements and happenings about our

program. These are free Apps on your Smart Phone, iPad, or you can access it free through the internet on a

desktop or laptop computer. Our Twitter address is @FerndaleEarlyEd and Principal Rice for Facebook. We hope to

see you there! Additionally, the staff is planning to post a staff member each day during the winter break reading a

book! Please tune in to Facebook and Twitter to read with us!

Parents, please continue to be patient and help us ensure the safety of our students and staff by pushing the button

by the main entrance and then remain standing in front of the camera. The secretaries will verbally ask you what

your purpose is for entering the building. Once, you have been granted access into the school, please have your

government issued identification ready (unless you have been scanned in previously). Thank you for your continued

patience. But we want to continue to ensure everyone’s safety.

Please help me to say thanks to the following organizations that support our school:

• St. Philip Neri for their donation of presents and food items for several of our families (ASK JEN B)

• Bubbas 33 in Glen Burnie for donating a delicious dinner for our staff holiday party

• Our own PTA board members and parent volunteers for providing the support and means to have our winter book fair and the Winter Festival

• Noodles and Company of Glen Burnie for their partnership for our PTA family restaurant fundraiser nights

Please continue to keep the lines of communication open between home and school. This will ensure for maximum

student success. We want to keep our children safe, positively engaged, happy, and healthy. Feel free to call me

anytime at 410-222-6927 for questions, concerns, or suggestions.

Sincerely, Lisa Rice Principal

Mission Ferndale Early Education Center offers an early learning environment to create a strong academic, social, and emotional foundation. Through partnerships with students, families and the community. Ferndale Early Education Center empowers students to be successful individuals in today’s diverse society.

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Happy New Year! January 1 Schools Closed

January 2 Welcome Back Students

January 8 PTA Meeting-George Cromwell Elementary@ 6:30pm

January 9 Student of the Month Celebration at Lunch time

January 14 PTA Chick-Fil-A Restaurant Night 5-8pm

January 16 Spirit Day-Crazy Hat Day Pennies for Patients Assembly 3pm

January 20 Schools Closed for Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Commemoration

January 21 PTA Texas Roadhouse Restaurant Night 4-10pm

Continues next page

Lisa A. Rice, Principal

January, 2020

Ferndale Early Education Center 105 Packard Avenue

Glen Burnie, MD 21061 410-222-6927/6928

www.aacps.org

PBIS Information

January is an exciting time for new beginnings and

resolutions. This year, you can involve the whole family

in your new year’s resolution! In 2019, try to have a

“screen free” hour each day and designate it as a time

spend with your child. According to the American

Academy of Pediatrics, children ages 2-6 should be

limited to one hour of high-quality screen time, with

parent supervision. On average, children spend over 6

hours per day on screen devices. Having quality,

screen free time with your child can help build

stronger relationships and improve behavior. Some

ideas for your screen free time could include playing a

board game, taking a walk, or sensory play activities

such as playdough or sorting objects in sand or dried

rice. Give it a try! Need more ideas? Visit

www.pbis.org/family to learn more about positive ways

to interact with your child at home.

Sincerely,

The PBIS Team

DATES TO REMEMBER (continued) January 28 and 29 2 Hour Early Dismissal – (End of 2nd Marking Period) No School for p.m. ECI Students

January 30 Professional Development School Closed for Students

The Human Relations Committee

Dinky says, “Save the date!”

We invite all students and staff to

participate in

January’s School Spirit Day!

Mark your calendar

Thursday, January 16th

is

“Crazy Hat Day!”

Show your school spirit by wearing a silly hat!

We encourage you to be creative by designing a unique themed hat.

2020-2021

Pre-Kindergarten

Registration will begin:

Application will be attached in the February Newsletter with information

for enrolling your child.

Wednesday, February 5th from 10:00 a.m.

to 2:00 p.m. weekdays.

PTA News

We wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year! If you would like to contact the PTA with any suggestions or concerns, please feel free to email:

cromwellferndalepta@yahoo.com. January Upcoming PTA Events-

1/8 PTA Meeting, Cromwell: 6:30pm 1/14 Chick-Fil-A: 5pm – 8pm 1/21 Texas Roadhouse Restaurant Night:

4pm-10pm

From the Media Center Greetings from the Ferndale Media Center! Thank you to everyone who supported our media center through the school bookfair. It was extremely successful. I also want to thank all of our wonderful volunteers. Your time is greatly appreciated. This January all classes will be reviewing proper book care and library manners, continue discussing call numbers and the alphabetical order of the media center shelves. We will continue reflecting on various authors and illustrators who are in pursuit of the Black-eyed Susan Award. This award is a children’s choice award given to outstanding books chosen by Maryland students. The award seeks to promote literacy and lifelong reading habits by encouraging students to read quality, contemporary literature. Please continue to help your children care for their books and return them on time. Please continue to help your children care for their books and return them on time.

Sincerely, Ms. Knode Media Specialist

Physical Education in January During the month of January students in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten will be participating in the

“in school bowling program”. This program allows students to bowl on carpet lanes with 10 pins and an

option of 2 different weighted balls. Students will learn how to hold a bowling ball, swing the ball

properly, and how to count the pins. This unit is a lot of fun and at the end of it all students will receive a

coupon for a free bowling game.

Remember to send your child to school with the proper shoes for Physical Education class. All classes

have PE on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Snow boots, rain boots and Ugg boots are not appropriate for class.

If it is necessary to send your child in boots, please send their tennis shoes with them and they can

change into them before class.

Thank you,

Shannon Overend

Physical Education Teacher

Cafeteria News Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a very nice holiday. We are starting the new year

off right with still lots of healthy choices for lunch. In the cafeteria we will be focusing on: >Good Manners: The children do a great job of saying hello and thanking us for their lunch. >Continuing Good Eating Habits: Lunches are packed with a lot of healthy choices including fruits and veggies. >Teaching them to use tongs when handling the food. >Encouraging them to try new items. >The importance of eating a good breakfast every day. Remember, free breakfast is served every day even when there is a 2-hour delay in the

morning. Hot lunches, cheese and yogurt combos and entrée salads continue to be a big hit every day. So, as winter is upon us, fresh fruits and veggies are still plentiful at your grocery store. Oranges are yummy anytime...the kids love them, and they are packed with Vitamin C.

Your cafeteria team, Nancy Tyler, Cafeteria Manager Vicki Bnaity, Cafeteria Assistant

News from the Health Room Happy New Year! This is a great time for our students and their families to make healthy resolutions.

Here are some great resolution ideas for the entire family:

• I will make sure to brush my teeth twice a day.

• I will wash my hands after using the bathroom and before eating.

• I will try one new healthy food a week.

• I will eat at least four servings of vegetables and one to two servings of fruit a day.

• I will drink water and milk during the day and will save juice and soda for special occasions.

• I will play outside or be active for at least one to two hours a day.

• I will limit my tv and video game time to one hour a day.

We hope you have a healthy and safe 2020!

~Ferndale EEC Health Room

CLOTHING DONATIONS The Health Room is in need of clothes! We provide a change of clothes for students if they do not have their own at school, but our supply is very low! Please consider donating your size 3T to 7 clothes to the school as you clean out your closets. Thank you

Reading Notes

January is the #AACPSReadWithMe Challenge month. Join the fun and take a picture of your family reading together and use Twitter to share your pictures. Example: “Reading at #FerndaleEarlyEdCtr #ReadWithMe.” Schools with the most tweets will win prizes, books, and more. We can’t wait to see your tweets and pictures!

Reading Tip Encourage your child to

predict what comes next in a story by looking at

pictures or listening to word clues. Often the

author will include clues about what will

happen next in the story. Predicting allows

children to become active readers. They will be

thinking about what happens next and will want

to read to confirm their predictions. Be sure to

ask them why they made the prediction.

Book Suggestions for Predicting

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss

Farmer Duck by Helen Oxenbury

Is Your Mama A Llama? By Deborah Guarino

Your Childs Contact Info Please take the time to update your home and cell phone numbers as well as your current addresses. This information is very important for the school to have on file for Emergency. This contact information needs to be kept up-to-date in the event a child becomes ill and needs to be released early. If you would like to ADD or REMOVE a contact from your student’s emergency contact form, please call the office at (410) 222- 6927 and we will send the card home to be amended. Thank you!

Ms. Phillips School Secretary

Important Visitor Information

For the safety and security of our students and staff, we ask that all visitors, for whatever reason, show a photo ID and sign-in to the main office. You will then receive a badge before leaving the office.

We also ask that if you would like to visit your child’s classroom that an appointment is made first.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding with these procedures.

Counselor’s Message

Dear Ferndale Families,

Our December guidance lesson focused on

anger and I messages. Many students were

surprised to learn that it is okay to feel

angry. We discussed why children feel angry

and what appropriate steps they can take to

calm down and talk about those feelings. IT

IS NOT OKAY TO ACT OUT OR HURT

OTHERS WHEN ANGRY.

When you feel angry you should:

1. Stop

2. Calm down (belly breaths, count to ten

etc.)

3. Use your words:

“I don’t like it when you________, Please

_______.”

Please review these steps at home with your

child.

Please feel free to contact me

jmbillings@aacps.org or call me at 410-222-

6927, if you have any questions or concerns.

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Thank you,

Jennifer Billings

School Counselor

Counselor’s Corner Student of the Month Program

Every month a student is chosen by each classroom teacher as the “Student of the Month.” This is a student who acts as a role model for other students, always displaying positive school behavior. Please stop by the lobby of the school each month to see the bulletin board that features the “Students of the Month.”

Congratulations go out to the following students who were “Students of the Month” for:

December 2019

Liam G. Mrs. Pope

Liam T. Ms. Jeffries

Amelia H. Mrs. Christopher

Ivy W. Ms. Grady

Juan A. Mrs. Cronin

Caleb J. Ms. Darcey

Raul D. Ms. Runion

Maxwell T. Ms. Escobedo ECI

Gavin A. Ms. Hammon ECI

Please remind your child that any student can be the “Student of the Month.” Please

encourage them to work towards positive school behavior every day!

Delayed Opening and Early Closing of Schools

When inclement weather results in a decision to adjust the opening or closing times, a message

will be broadcast over the media. We ask that parents/guardians listen to the radio or watch

television for late opening or closing announcements. Please do not call the school office. The

media receives information directly from the Anne Arundel County Board of Education at the

same time if not sooner than the school. You can also find information on closings and delays on

Facebook (www.facebook.com/aacps) and on Twitter (@AACountySchools) as well as the

Anne Arundel County Public Schools website www.aacps.org.

Two Hour Delay

“All Anne Arundel County Public Schools will open two hours late”

• Ferndale students should arrive no earlier than 11:15 a.m. and no later than 11:30 a.m. • P.M. ECI student arrives at 1:20 p.m. There would be No school for A.M. ECI Students.

Early Closing

“All Anne Arundel County Public Schools will close two hours early”

• Ferndale students would dismiss at 1:55 p.m.

• A.M. ECI Students will dismiss at 11:20 a.m. NO School for P.M. ECI students

Inclement Weather When we are experiencing bad weather, the school system may have an emergency closing, or

early dismissal. Please tune-in to the radio, television or check out the school system’s website @

www.aacps.org and the school’s social media sites for emergency closings, early dismissals and

late openings. Please remember:

1. “CODE RED” weather announcement means ALL schools and central offices are CLOSED. 2. “CODE BLUE” also means that schools are CLOSED. Personnel that work in school offices

or at Central Office report to work.

Another alternative is to register for schoolsout.com.

This site will send you an email when schools are closing.

January 2020 Brain Tip of the Month Start your new year off right! Fast food and processed/sugary food harm the brain. They can cause you to feel tired and foggy. Feed your brain the food it needs!

Growing brains need: • Lean proteins (chicken, beans, & nuts) • Vitamins & Minerals • Fruits and Vegetables

STUDENTS WITH PERFECT ATTENDANCE

DECEMBER 2019

Volunteers

It’s not for money, it’s not for fame.

It’s not for any personal gain.

It’s just for love of fellowman.

It’s just to send a helping hand.

It’s just to give a tithe of self.

That’s something you can’t buy

with wealth.

It’s not medals won with pride.

It’s for that feeling deep inside.

It’s that reward down in your

heart.

It’s that feeling that you’ve been a

part

Of helping others far and near,

that makes you be a Volunteer!

Author Unknown

Kindergarten

Ms. Grady’s Class Princess-Eden A. Mason D. Jesus D. Santiago P. Bryson R. Lillyann S. Mrs. Pope’s Class Derek C. Kyree J. Danna L. Taylor S. Ms. Jeffries’ Class Rylee D. Cameron H. Joseph P. Ethan W.

ECI

Mrs. Escobedo’s AM/PM Class Nathaniel A. Nyanchier A. Reginald S. Jack W.

Ms. Hammon’s AM/PM Class Iker C. Michael E. Charles H. Danielle K. Hunter M. Landon P. Luke P. Brielle T.

Pre-Kindergarten

Mrs. Cronin’s Class Ayha’ko P.

Mrs. Christopher’s Class Amelia H. Jonathan M.

Ms. Darcey’s Class Corbin B. Anh P. Nelly S. Ms. Runion’s Class Ivy D. Ariyella H.

Fire Lanes Fire lanes and bus loops are not to be utilized by staff, visitors, or spectators. Any vehicle parked in a fire lane MUST be moved to an authorized parking space. This includes if you are bringing your student in late or picking your student up for early dismissal.