DATES TO REMEMBER:

September 27    Dental Clinic

September 28    Dental Clinic

September 28    MCAP Math Testing Grades 4 & 5

September 29    MCAP Math Testing Grades 4 & 5

October 6           Vision & Hearing Screening

October 6           School Spirit Day - Mad Hatter (wear your craziest hat to school)

October 15         Schools Closed for Students

 

Guilford Family and Friends,

Fall has finally arrived and we are able to enjoy some cooler weather. We hope that you all find time to get out of the house and enjoy the fall colors and great weather.

We want to remind the community that all toys have to remain at home. It has always been the policy, but we are having a lot of issues with kids bringing in their “Pop Its” to school. Please have your child leave them at home. They are too distracting to their learning, they can get lost or misplaced, and we have seen quite a few tears over them. We appreciate your help with this.

We are happy to announce that we will be having school pictures, classroom pictures, and a yearbook this school year. We have switched companies to Strawbridge and we are positive the quality and service will be much better. Ms. Whitaker and Ms. Vaugh, our amazing PreK team, will be working on the yearbook - a huge task - and we are sure it will be our best one yet! Fall school pictures will be happening on Monday, October 18th. More information will be sent home about this soon.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns. We are here to serve this amazing community!          

Mrs. Trish Lannon, Principal
Mrs. LaRae Guide, Assistant Principal     

                       

 

                                                                    IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Close Adult Support for Special Needs Students

We are in need of 2 adults to hire for this position. For the close adult support position, you would apply through an outside agency that staffs these positions in our schools. The position is for 6-hours each day, Monday-Friday and we currently need to hire 2 people. We also frequently need subs for this role, as well. Click here to learn more and apply.

Listen and Learn Sessions

This is a unique opportunity for students in our school communities. Students are invited to participate in our Area” Listen and Learn” Session facilitated by the students of Howard County Association of Student Councils (HCASC).  Please see the attached flyer for complete details and to RSVP.

HCPSS Black Student Achievement Program Saturday Math Academy

The HCPSS Black Student Achievement Program Saturday Math Academy Fall Session is approaching! This year, the BSAP Saturday Math Academy will offer a virtual enrichment program for Howard County Public School System students in all levels of math for grades 3-12. Registration will take place online on September 25 from 9:00 a.m.- until capacity is reached.

Class space is limited. Families can register by accessing the HCPSS Connect Website. For more information, please visit: https://news.hcpss.org/news-posts/2021/09/bsap-saturday-math-academy-virtual-fall-2021-program/ 

• BSAP SMA Fall 2021 Flyer  (English)

• BSAP SMA Fall 2021 Flyer (Spanish)

National Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15th through October 15th is celebrated each year as National Hispanic Heritage Month. When people celebrate Hispanic American Heritage Month, they often just focus on Mexico. But Hispanic and Latin Americans come from many different nations. In fact, September 15th was designated as the starting day of Hispanic Heritage Month because it is the Independence Day of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Similarly, Mexico, Chile, and Belize celebrate their Independence Days on September 16th, September 18th, and September 21st.  

Each of these nations has its own unique culture and traditions, and immigrants from these countries have and continue to add value to and enhance the evolving culture of this county.  Please join us as we highlight and celebrate the tremendous contributions and impact of our Hispanic/Latinx community.

Jewelry and Shoes in PE

Howard County has guidelines for Safe Dress and participation in PE.  You can find this document on your students' PE homepage.  All students must wear sneakers or tennis shoes on PE days.  The only jewelry that students are permitted to wear are stud earrings and fitness trackers.  Please see your students' PE home page for PE days and a color calendar for the year.  Thank you for your support!

Water Bottles and Masks

Please make sure you send your child with a refillable water bottle each day so they have access to water throughout the day. In addition, every child should bring a mask to school and we highly suggest you pack them some extras in their backpack. Thanks.

Fall Before & After School Program

Please click here to view more details about our  Fall Before & After School Programs 

Resources for Quarantined Students

In the event that your child needs to quarantine, there have been instructional materials developed for their use.  Your child’s teacher will contact you with directions regarding these materials and supports. 

This will include:

• Instructional Packet (paper copy) - These packets were sent home with ALL students. Please put them in a safe place in the event that your child may need them in the future.  They will come home in a manilla folder with a label on the front. Electronic versions of these packets will be posted on the HCPSS parent pages as soon as possible. 

• Synchronous Support Sessions - Each ELA and Math teacher will offer synchronous sessions that quarantine students can access.  Teachers will send the dates/times and login information for these sessions. In addition, our special ed staff will also have support sessions.

• Canvas Materials - There may be activities on Canvas that students can complete.  Teachers will communicate this with parents. 

• Dreambox and LexiaCore will be available for students to utilize. 

If your child left their laptop at school, please call the front office to arrange a pick-up time to get your child's device. This will allow them to access the above supports. If your child does not have a device assigned to them, a device will be assigned to them if they need to be quarantined. If your child is not in school when they are placed on quarantine, you can contact the front office in order to arrange a pick-up time to get a device for your child.  

Thank you for your understanding, support, and continued collaboration as we stay safe, healthy, and able to focus on teaching and learning.  As always, please feel free to reach out with any additional questions.  

Absences

If your child is absent at any point this school year, please send an email to gesabsence@hcpss.org and your child’s homeroom teacher. In your email please include your child’s first and last name, date of the absence and the reason.

Providing Consent for In-School COVID Testing

HCPSS offers free, voluntary COVID tests for students and school-based staff who develop COVID-like symptoms or are identified as close contacts while they are in a school building. Parents/guardians who have not already done so can provide consent in HCPSS Connect Synergy to enable your child to participate in this testing program.

Quarantining Procedures

The close contact and quarantining procedures that were put into place last year will remain this fall. Only unvaccinated students and adults who are identified as close contacts must quarantine. Vaccinated students and staff will not be required to quarantine unless they receive a positive test or are displaying symptoms, but are expected to monitor their symptoms closely for the 14 days. Instructional supports are in place for students who must quarantine.

Update Your Family File

Thank you to those families who have already completed their Family Files! Currently, we are at 60% completion and need 199 more Family Files to be completed. We need every parent/guardian to update each of their children’s Family File. This will give us the information about who we are permitted to release your child to for early dismissal, how they will arrive and be dismissed from school (car, walk, bus, daycare, etc.), how to contact you in the event of an emergency, and so much more. To update the Family File for each of your children, please go to ​​https://www.hcpss.org/connect/ prior to August 30th.

1. Log in to HCPSS Connect Synergy using parent/guardian credentials

2. Select “More Options” from the left navigation

3. Select “Family File” at the top of the page

4. Complete each page of Family File

5. On the last page, select the blue Submit button

If you have any issues, please contact the front office and someone will be able to assist you.

Free and Reduced Meals Application (FARMs)

If your family qualifies for this program, it is SO much more than free school lunches! Each family must apply each school year and the information about FARMS, the benefits you receive on this program, and link to the application can be found HERE. 

In addition, this information is used to determine whether our school qualifies for Title 1 funding. The additional staff, materials and resources our school receives is a benefit to ALL of our students. Please help us continue to be able to have these benefits by completing your application as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Monica Maiden at monica_maiden@hcpss.org OR call the front office. Thank you for all your help.

Guilford Elementary School PTA

Stay connected with our amazing PTA by joining their Facebook page. You can join by clicking on THIS LINK. You can also follow them on their website HERE. One of the most important things the PTA does for Guilford ES, is to support our students with fun events, assemblies and activities. In order to do this, they need you to join the PTA! You can join by going HERE.

Mum & Fall Flower Sale

The PTA's annual mum and fall flower sale is ongoing until September 29th.  Order beautiful mums and help your student's PTA at the same time. This sale is provided as a service to our community.  A flyer should be in your student's backpack this week or orders can be placed online in the PTA Store.

Orders will be taken through Wednesday, September 29th. Flowers will be ready for pickup on Saturday, October 16th between 8am-noon.

If you have any questions please reach out to guilfordpta@gmail.com

COMMUNITY NEWS & EVENTS

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.

TITLE 1 INFORMATION

Guilford Elementary School is a Title I School-wide Program school. Title I is a federally funded program designed to close achievement gaps and ensure all children have an opportunity to access a high-quality education by providing funding for supplemental academic services and supports. 

A Family-School Compact & Plan is an agreement between families, students, and teachers that is jointly developed and distributed to all families. It explains how families, students, and teachers will work as a team to make sure all students meet with success and get the support they need to achieve grade level goals.  The Guilford Elementary School Family School Compact and Calendar of Events can be found here http://ges.hcpss.org/sites/default/files/ges-title-I-compact-calendar.pdf for English; http://ges.hcpss.org/sites/default/files/ges-title-I-compact-calendar-spa.pdf for Spanish and on the Guilford Elementary School Title I can be found here  http://ges.hcpss.org/about/title-i-program. 

If you have any questions, please ask your child’s teacher at your upcoming parent teacher conference.  If you have any input or feedback, please contact Donna Bethune Brown at donna_bethune-brown@hcpss.org.