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MESSAGE FROM THE ADMINISTRATOR Hello RBES Families and Friends, We look forward to our Student-Led Conferences starting Monday, November 24th through November 26th. We hope you have taken the opportunity to access pickAtime and schedule your conference. This online scheduling program will close at 7:00 PM this evening, November 21st. Please contact the school if you need any assistance at 410-313-6893.
As, the weather turns colder, please be sure to send your child to school prepared for outdoor recess and/or transitions in and out of the building. In addition, it would be helpful to label your child’s coat, hat, etc. with your child’s name. We have many coats, sweatshirts, sweaters, hats and other clothing that are found by staff or students and these items move to our “lost and found” bin in the cafeteria. If items are labeled, it helps us find the owner quickly. Thank you for your support to ensure our students are dressed for the weather!
Lastly, we would like to take this opportunity during this season of Thanksgiving to thank all of you for your continued support and dedication to the students and staff of Running Brook! Our RBES families, friends and community members support a true partnership in the education of our students! Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Mr. Todd and Mrs. Jenkins
LEARN OF WEATHER DELAYS OR SCHOOL CLOSINGS Please take the time to read the following information from HCPSS concerning weather related school closings.
When is the decision made? The decision to delay or close schools is made by 5 a.m. and a telephone tree is started to alert key school staff members and local media. By 5:30 a.m., a notice is posted on HCPSS News. School openings may be delayed one or two hours. On rare occasions when weather conditions worsen or do not improve after a delay has been announced, a second announcement may be made to close schools instead.
Emergency & Weather-related School Closings: If it is necessary for the Superintendent to close or delay the start of schools due to inclement weather or other emergencies, parents may get information by visiting HCPSS News and subscribing to receive email and texts alerts. In addition, HCPSS uses the following sources:
HCPSS-TV: Comcast Channel 95 or Verizon Channel 42 HCPSS Information Hotline: 410-313-6666 TV/Radio: WBAL TV Ch. 11; WBAL Radio 1090 AM; WTOP Radio 103.5 FM If
When HCPSS schools open one or two hours late, there is no RECC. If schools are closed, or closed early due to weather conditions, all after-school and evening activities, both school and non-school, scheduled in school facilities are canceled.
RUNNING BROOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Reaching the Best in Every Student
Panther Press
Panther Press - November 21, 2014
Troy Todd Principal
Kelli Jenkins Assistant Principal
SCHEDULE CHANGE
NEW HCPSS NEWS
STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES
COGAT ASSESSMENT
BOOK FAIR
CULTURAL ARTS ASSEMBLY
BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK
RUNNING BROOK
WRITERS
RBES MATH WEBSITE
MUSIC
COMMUNITY NOTICES
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MESSAGE FROM THE HEALTH ROOM As we enter into flu season, this is a reminder that good hand washing and covering sneezes and coughs with tissues and sleeves are essential steps to preventing the spread of "germs.” Also, remember that despite concerns about school attendance, your children's health (and the health of other children) is most important of all. For this reason, we ask you to please:
• Call the school nurse to let us know if your child is absent with a contagious illness such as strep throat, or the flu. Please provide any documentation from your physician about diagnosis and release to return to school. (Ear and sinus infections, while often a reason for keeping a child home, are usually not contagious.)
• Keep your child home if he/she has a fever of over 100.0. A fever indicates that your child has an infection that could be passed to other students. If you give your child Motrin or Tylenol, the fever will, of course, disappear but he/she will still be contagious to others. Children must be fever-free for 24 hours (without medication) before returning to school! Students vomiting or with diarrhea should be symptom free, able to eat and drink a regular meal, and resume normal bowel habits before returning.
• Have your children wash their hands properly after using the restrooms and prior to eating. • If the doctor prescribes medication for your child, please make sure he/she takes it as directed-which means
the right amount at the right time and without missing doses.
Thank you very much for helping keep all our students healthy!
BUS SAFETY
The safety of your child/children is of utmost importance to us. Recently it has been brought to the attention of our staff that the behaviors of a number of students on several busses are not conducive to the Howard County Code of Conduct, or the expectations of the students at Running Brook. We have discussed the importance of bus safety with students on each bus. Please talk to your child/children to remind them of their responsibility to keep themselves, and others, safe while riding the bus. Thank you for your support!
LUNCH REMINDERS Please be sure to continue to add money to your child’s POS account for purchasing school lunches or send the money to school when needed. In addition, packed lunches cannot be “heated” during the lunch period. We do not have the capability of heating lunches for students during the lunch period. We appreciate your understanding and support with this. AWARDS ASSEMBLIES At Back-to-School Night we discussed making changes to our awards assemblies. Our goal is to recognize more students at each grade level. These changes align with our school improvement plan and support our mission to help with overall hope and engagement in our students.
Due to the increased amount of awards, the assemblies will now be held in the classroom areas at various scheduled times. The times and dates will vary according to the grade and quarter. As we would love to have all families attend our awards assemblies, it becomes a safety concern to try to accommodate all the guests. We will attempt to share as much from each of the assemblies as possible on our website. Again, the ultimate goal is to recognize more students and we believe our changes will accomplish this. We appreciate your flexibility and continued support.
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LEARNING TOGETHER PROGRAM We are accepting applications for our 3-year-old Learning Together Preschool Program. The program is held on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for 2.5 hours each morning. We are looking to fill one slot with a child that turned 3 on or before September 1, 2014. Please see Lisa Arsenault in the front office for an application.
SCHEDULE CHANGE Please be aware that our lunch, recess and Related Arts schedules change on 3-hour Early Dismissal days, Assembly Schedule days and 2-hour Delayed opening days. Due to our early closing on Monday, November 24th and Tuesday, November 25th, we will have a change in schedule.
Lunch Schedule for 3-Hour Early Dismissal:
PreK 11:00-11:30 Kindergarten 10:30-11:00 1st Grade 10:00-10:30 2nd Grade 10:30-11:00 3rd Grade 11:00-11:30 4th Grade 11:30-12:00 5th Grade 12:00-12:30 NEW HCPSS NEWS This week we sent our first message using the new HCPSS News system. The subject was Turkey Trot Reminders and Schedule. Did you receive that message? If you did receive it - you are all set and do not need to do anything.
If you did not receive it and you are a RBES parent - your email address must not be in our student management system correctly. Please send an email to [email protected] or [email protected] with the subject line of - Correct Email Address and in the body of the email please include your name, your student's name and your email address. We will make the correction to the system.
If you did not receive it and you are a community member - please visit: http://www.hcpss.org/hcpss-news/ and click on the Non-HCPSS Parent/Guardian link to sign-up for the new service.
CULTURAL ARTS ASSEMBLY – DECEMBER 3RD
Rockcreek Steel Drum’s Band, “Bermuda Blue” takes the audience on a journey through the development of the modern steel drum instrument in this music assembly. The story starts in the small Caribbean Island of Trinidad in the 1940’s with roots spreading back to the traditional “Talking Drums” of Africa. Bermuda Blue demonstrates the different types of steel drums and other Caribbean instruments while playing Calypso music. Students join the band to
play steel drums and tamboo bamboo. Students leave with an appreciation and understanding of steel drum music, the instrument and its history and culture.
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STUDENT-LED CONFERENCES: NOVEMBER 24th AND 25th
Mark your calendars: Student-Led Conferences are scheduled for November 24th – November 26th. Our school will be using a web-based application called pickAtime to schedule our student-led conferences. Parents with Internet access will be able to schedule the student-led conference, print the schedule, and have an email reminder of the appointment sent to them. For Grades 1-5, we would like to clarify how conferences will be held this year due to departmentalization. You will be meeting with your child’s Session 1 teacher in November and your child’s Session 2 teacher in February. When you go on to pickAtime to set up your conference, you will look for your child’s Session 1 teacher.
You will be able to access this program to schedule or cancel your appointments until Friday, November 21st at 7:00 pm. To access this program, please click on the pickAtime scheduling link for Running Brook Elementary School on the Howard County Public School System web site http://www.hcpss.org/. After this date, you will have to schedule, cancel or reschedule your appointments by calling the front office at 410-313-6893. In order to access this program, you will need your child’s student ID number. This ID number was sent home in a letter on Wednesday, November 5th, or it will be labeled at the top of your child’s report card, which will be sent home on November 12th. Please be sure to have this information on hand when accessing pickAtime. Unfortunately, we cannot give out your student’s ID number over the telephone. “Parent Directions for Using pickAtime” and a video on how to use this program can be found on the Howard County Public School website www.hcpss.org. Parents/Guardians who are unable to access pickAtime at home or work may call the school at 410-313-6893 to schedule the conference. COGAT ASSESSMENT/GRADES 3 & 5
This year, the Howard County Public School System will be administering the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) to all students in grades 3 and 5. The CogAT is a group-administered abilities test that measures students’ reasoning abilities, which they develop through in-school and out-of-school experiences. It is not designed to test a student’s academic achievement, but their potential.
The test is made of three batteries – Verbal, Quantitative, and Nonverbal. Each battery takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. The CogAT helps educators understand a student’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses and assists with adapting instruction to meet the needs and abilities of each student.
ALL STUDENTS in Grades 3 and 5 will participate in the testing. The CogAT will be administered at Running Brook on December 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. No special preparation is required. Just send your child to school ready to learn as you do daily.
The Gifted and Talented Education Program will use the data from the CogAT as one criterion for placement into fourth grade Gifted/Talented mathematics classes and middle school Gifted/Talented content classes. Students’ individual scores will be reported to parents in late February/early March.
Please contact the school if you have any questions about your child’s involvement with the CogAT assessment.
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UPCOMING BOOK FAIR The Book Fair is returning to Running Brook on November 24th and 25th from 1:00 to 7:30 pm. We will have a wonderful selection of engaging and affordable books for every reading level. Please make plans to visit our Book Fair in the Media Center and be involved in shaping your child's reading habits.
NEW THIS YEAR – THE CRAYON PROJECT
Our 1st graders are helping with recycling old, small crayons to make new ones with the Crazy Crayon Company. If you have any old crayons you would throw away, please consider sending them in with your child in a bag. We will do the rest. Best of all, these recycled crayons will be sold on the PAWMART cart! Another way to help the Earth and enjoy some new crayons!
WORLD LANGUAGE NEWSLETTER Dear RBES Families, Please be on the lookout for the World Language Newsletter for Unit 2, which we started in early November. Themes include house, community, and clothing. This is a good opportunity to touch base with your students about what is happening in their Spanish class.
¡Hasta pronto! The World Language Team
RBES MATH WEBSITE
Did you know that RBES has a math website? This website provides parents with resources as well as information about current math instruction in each grade. Check it out at: http://rbesmath.weebly.com/. SCHOOL-WIDE TITLE I PROGRAM Did you know that Running Brook has a school-wide Title I program? Title I is a federally funded program designed to ensure that all children have an opportunity to access a high quality education. The goal of this federal program is to close the achievement gap for all students. As a result we receive additional funds from the federal government that have allowed us to secure additional staff members, funds for family events, and materials of instruction to benefit all of our children.
We value input from our parents, community, and staff. If you have any suggestions, questions, or feedback about our Family Involvement programs or School Improvement Plan, please feel free to contact our Title I contacts:
Jodi Aikens: [email protected] Kim Filler: [email protected]
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BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK Blessings in a Backpack is a non-profit organization that works to support the more than 62% of elementary students in America who qualify for the free and reduced meal program. Each Friday during the school year, students supported by the Blessings in a Backpack Program are given a certain amount of food to ensure they do not go hungry over the weekend. The cost per student is $100 for the thirty-eight
week school year. Backpacks include easy-to-prepare, shelf stable food items (juice boxes, mac and cheese, fruit snacks, and oatmeal). One hundred percent of funds donated directly feed the children of the program. Online donations are accepted at http://www.blessingsinabackpack.org. (Please be sure to check the “other” box in the dropdown section of the “Designation” section and type “Running Brook Elementary School”). Checks should be made out to Blessings in a Backpack, with Running Brook Elementary School on the memo line. Checks can be mailed to: BIB Lockbox, PO Box 950291,Louisville, KY 40295. Donors will receive a thank you letter containing the Blessings in a Backpack Federal Tax ID Number, which serves as a charitable gift receipt.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR MUSIC TEACHER
Why I Teach Music…
Music is a science. It is exact, specific, and it demands exact acoustics. A conductor’s full score is a chart, a graph which indicates frequencies, intensities, volume changes, melody, and harmony all at once with the most exact control of time.
Music is mathematical. It is rhythmically based on the subdivisions of time into fractions, which must be done instantaneously, not worked out on paper.
Music is a foreign language. Most of the terms are in Italian, German, or French. The notation is certainly not English, but a highly developed kind of shorthand that uses symbols to represent ideas. The semantics of music is the most complex and universal language.
Music is history. Music usually reflects the environment and times of its creation - often even the country and/or racial feeling.
Music is physical education. It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lips, cheek, and facial muscles, in addition to extraordinary control of the diaphragmatic, back, stomach, and chest muscles, which responds instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets.
Music is all these things, but most of all music is ART. It allows a human being to take all these technical elements and use them to create emotion. That is one thing that cannot be duplicated: humanism, feeling, emotion – call it what you will.
That is why I teach music!
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RUNNING BROOK WRITERS Students at Running Brook are developing great writing skills! Please encourage your child to start writing a story or a poem. (Or both!) Your child can enter this writing contest (see below) and the RBES teachers will help your child get the job done! The Howard County Reading Council offers the annual Young Authors' Contest. Students in grades 2-5 are encouraged to submit a poem and/or a short story. Young Authors' Contest Rules: 1. Entries must be original work. 2. Short story entries may be 300-800 words 3. Poem entries must be a single poem, may be 25-150 words 4. Entries may not include graphics 5. Include a completed "cover sheet" signed by the student author and sponsoring teacher 6. Entries due before Winter Break. UPCOMING EVENTS AND IMPORTANT DATES
11/21 Flu Mist Clinic 11/27-11/28 Thanksgiving Holiday – SCHOOL CLOSED
11/24 - 11/25 RBES Book Fair (1:00 to 7:30 pm) 12/2 - 12/4 CoGAT: 3rd and 5th Grade
11/24 Parent Conferences: DISMISSED AT 12:50 12/3 Cultural Arts Assemblies
11/25 Parent Conferences: DISMISSED AT 12:50 12/9 Vision and Hearing Screening
11/26 Parent Conferences: SCHOOL CLOSED FOR STUDENTS
12/12 Progress Reports Issued
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COMMUNITY NOTICES For more information or questions regarding the “Community Notices” below, please use the contact information provided within each notice. These events are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Howard County Public School System or Running Brook Elementary School.
Cub Scouts Sign your son up today. Now is the time to sign up your son for one of the nation's foremost youth development programs. Cub scouting is the elementary school age division of the Boy Scouts of America. Each elementary school in Howard County has a Cub Scout Pack. If you are unsure about which pack you belong in, go to www.beascout.org and type in your ZIP code. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Joe Azzarello, [email protected].
Kennedy Krieger Institute Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions are offering your child to take part in Brain Research. This is for children ages 8-12, with ADHD, High Functioning Autism and Typically Developing Children. Two seven-hour days of computer games, paper and pencil tasks, and a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan of the brain. You choose the date in which to participate. For additional information please contact Mary Martinelli (ADHD STUDY) 443-923-9258; Kristie Sweeney (ADHD STUDY) 443-923-9254; Alyssa Tiedemann (Autism STUDY) 443-923-9263 and [email protected]
Rebuilding Together Howard County Free Home Repairs Available, Volunteers from Rebuilding Together Howard County work to repair homes for low-income homeowners and their families. All types of free repairs are provided to include plumbing, electrical, carpentry, new appliance installation, painting and the list goes on. A simple application is all you need to apply. Call 410-381-3338 or go on line at www.rebuildingtogetherhowardcounty.org to get your application. Since 1992, over 700 Howard County homes have been repaired free of charge. The deadline for applying is Dec. 31st.
Howard County General Hospital Annual Symphony of Lights Symphony Woods off of Broken Land Parkway in Columbia Maryland: Wednesday through Monday, 6:00 to 10:00 pm, starting November 17th through January 4th. In addition to nightly drives, Symphony of Lights offers special events. Event information is available by calling the Symphony of Lights Information Line at 410-740-7666 or by visiting www.hcgh.org/symphonyoflights.
YMCA Turkey Trot Charity 5KA walk/run benefiting the Y of Central Maryland's Give Every Child a Chance campaign will be held Thanksgiving morning, November 26th, 8:30 am, Long Gate Shopping Center, Ellicott City. Register today at ymaryland.org.
Howard County Government Setting Limits Without Guilt. There are many different parenting styles. Some may be too firm and some may be too lenient. What is the right balance and how do you keep your relationship intact with your child while making sure they do the right thing? This 2 Part Series is held on Monday, Dec 1st, and Monday Dec 8th, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at 3300 North Ridge Rd #240, Ellicott City Md. For more information or to register, please call 410-313-1940 or visit http://www.howardcountymd.gov/children
Columbia Association CA's Youth and Teen Center (YTC) is collecting clothes for community members in need. Items for the entire family are needed, clothes, shoes, coats, etc., YTC is also seeking student and parent volunteers for this project. Folks interested should contact Safire Windley at 410-992-3726. Service hours may be issued.
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Wreaths Across America Howard High fundraiser, this non-profit organization continues the Arlington tradition as part of its mission to Remember, Honor and Teach. Donate a wreath to adorn a veterans’ grave for the holidays and help raise money for the school before Dec. 1st. You can find out more about Wreaths Across America at http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org
Glen Mar United Methodist Church Walk to Bethlehem on Fri., Sat., and Sun., Dec. 5, 6, and 7 at 4701 New Cut Road in Ellicott City. Inclement weather date is Mon., Dec. 8. Drop in anytime between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. for this free event. See the Christmas story through this indoor/outdoor theatrical production. Visit a temple scene and a marketplace as it looked in the first century. For more information, visit www.glenmarumc.org and click on Events or call 410-465-4995 ext. 410.
Columbia Orchestra The Columbia Orchestra continues its 37th season with Dvořák, Gershwin, and Rouse. On Sat., Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m. National Symphony Trombonist David Murray performs the Pulitzer Prize-winning Trombone Concerto named for James Rouse. http://www.columbiaorchestra.org/hcpss or call 410-465-8777.
Jazz in the Mills at The Other Barn in Columbia presents its Annual Holiday Jazz Extravaganza on Sun., Dec. 7, featuring the melodious sounds of Davey Yarborough and Esther Williams. Showtime is at 5-8 p.m. www.brownpapertickets.com/event/569396. Tickets will be available at the door for $20. The Other Barn, Oakland Mills Village, 5851 Robert Oliver Place, Columbia.
Melville Chapel United Methodist Church Melville Chapel United Methodist is asking for donations on behalf of the Elkridge Food Pantry. We would like to give each of our families in need a gift card, so the parents can personally choose gifts for their children. Contributions can be made payable to the Elkridge Love Mission/Food Pantry and mailed to 5660 Furnace Ave., Elkridge, Md. Please note that the donation is to go to towards "Christmas Gift Cards" in the memo line. We are asking that you send your donation by Dec. 5, so that we can distribute the gift cards on Dec. 12. For more information, visit: https://www.facebook.com/ElkridgeFoodPantryAndGarden
SPORTS
SuperSquads Join Superquads Cheerleading today. Practices are once a week after school for 1.25 hours. Contact [email protected] , www.supersquads.org or 410-796-2244 to register online or by mail and start next practice.
Soccerdome Attention All Soccer Enthusiasts - It's Time for Winter Indoor Soccer - Register Your Youth Soccer Team Now with Maryland Sports Services at Soccerdome. U7 through HS teams can choose from two sessions. See all the details at www.soccerdome.com or call Jody Boyer at 443-668-6019 for assistance.
Savage Boys & Girls Club Basketball Recreational Basketball League open to boys and girls ages 7 - 17. Five age divisions. All leagues are separated on the basis of age and gender. Players receive team uniform, participation trophy and tournament play. Practices/Season: Early Dec. - mid March. Registration ends Dec. 1, 2014. Register at http://www.eteamz.com/savageboysandgirlsclub/
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