Note from Mr. FitzGerald

Greetings Guilford! Although we've experienced 60 degree temperatures this week, February has arrived! February is a very exciting month at Guilford with many events taking place. We'll be celebrating Black History Month all month long on our morning announcements, during classroom lessons, through our Unheard Perspectives Showcase and during our school-wide program on February 21st. Our PTA Raise Craze "It's Cool To Be Kind" Fundraiser kicks off with Justin Berk's Faith in the Flakes Assembly on February 6th and will go through February 28th.  Hopefully you've marked your calendar for February 18th to attend the PTA's Evening of Kindness.  Sprinkled in during our Black History Month and PTA celebrations, we'll have our Cozy Reading and Math Night on Thursday, February 6th and parent conferences on February 13th and 14th. Please note that on the 13th and 14th, we'll have 3-hour early dismissals, which means dismissal will begin at 12:50pm on those two days. The next Paw Prints will be sent home on Wednesday, February 19th. If there is anything you need between now and then, do not hesitate to contact me. Have a great day!

Justin FitzGerald
Proud Guilford Principal

                                       Dates To Remember for 2020

February
2/6 - Title 1 Family Night Cozy Reading and Math Night
2/6 - PTA Raise Craze Kickoff
2/11- PTA Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
2/13 & 2/14 - School Close 3 hours early - Parent/Teacher Conferences
2/14 - Spirit Day – Red/Pink Day
2/17 - Schools and Offices Closed - Presidents Day
2/18 - PTA Evening of Kindness at 6:30-8:00 p.m.
2/28 - Spirit Day – Superhero Day

                                    GES News

Screening for Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties

In accordance with Maryland’s Ready to Read Act (2019), all HCPSS kindergarten students* will be administered a screener assessment that includes a battery of four one-minute reading measures (DIBELS 8th Edition) to examine their letter naming, decoding, and word reading skills. The assessments will occur throughout winter, 2020. Parents and guardians will be notified if assessment results indicate that your child would benefit from an intervention.

*This includes kindergarten students who do not have a current Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) with reading foundational skills goals.

Building Resilience

All youth face difficulties which can range from traumatic losses to every day disappointments.  The ability to cope and recover (or “bounce back”) after a setback is important to their success.  Experts call this “resilience,” and it’s a skill that can be learned.
You can help your child develop resilience by taking the following steps:

• Model a positive outlook.  Children will learn from your ability to bounce back from difficulties.  When faced with a challenge yourself, model an “I can do it” attitude.  Remind yourself and your child that the current problem is temporary, and that things will get better.
• Build Confidence.  Comment frequently on what your child does well.  Point out when he demonstrates qualities such as kindness, persistence, and integrity.  
• Build Connections.  Create a strong loving family and encourage your child to make good friends.  This will help ensure that she has plenty of support in times of trouble.  
•  Encourage goal-setting.  Teach  children to set realistic goals and work toward them one step at a time.  Even small steps can build confidence and resilience.  
• See challenges as learning opportunities.  Touch times are often when we learn the most.  Resist the urge to solve your child’s problem for him – this can send a message that you don’t believe he can handle it.  Instead, offer love and support, and show faith in his ability to cope.  Remind him of times when he has solved problems successfully in the past.  
• Teach self-care.  Many challenges are easier to face when we eat well and get enough exercise and rest.  Self-care can also mean taking a break from worrying to relax and have some fun.  
• Help Others.  Empower your child by giving her opportunities to help out at home or do age-appropriate volunteer work for her school, neighborhood, or place of worship.  

Remember: With your help and support, children can learn to be more resilient.  For more information and parenting tips go to https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/resources/tip-sheets/

Other Helpful Ideas:  Resilience Handouts 

Attendance Procedures: When your child has been absent, please send a note in immediately on your child’s return to school.  The note should be sent within 2 days of returning and include:

•     student’s name
•     date(s) of absence
•     REASON FOR ABSENCE
•     parent signature

A doctor’s note is preferred for medical appointments.  We encourage you to have your child attend class both before and after medical appointments when possible.

Fever Policy
Howard County Public Schools require that any student with a temperature over 100.0 stay home from school. If your child has a fever, here are some tips to remember:

•     Check your child’s temperature about every 4-6 hours when awake.
•     Encourage fluids
•     Give a fever reducing medication such as Ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil) or Acetaminophen (Tylenol).  Follow the dosing instructions on the package.
•     Keep your child at home when ill or having a fever (100F or above).  Students should stay home until fever free WITHOUT a fever reducing medication for 24 hours. Consult with your health care provider if fever persists and/or symptoms worsen.
•     Encourage your child to wash their hands frequently.  Persons coming into contact with the child should also wash their hands.

If you have any further questions, please contact the health room.

Clean Out Your Closet Challenge

Guilford is participating in the Clothing to Cash Recycling Program

Help our school raise money!  We accept New and Used clothing, shoes, sneakers, towels, textiles, and stuff animals. We want items in ALL conditions unwanted, outgrown, and out of style.

All items must be in a plastic bag and tied shut.  Look for the large white collection bin in the school parking lot.  Collections will be Reworn, Repurposed or finally Recycled.

Save our landfills and give your items a second life.   This is a easy way for our school to raise money. Help support our school & save the environment one bag at a time!

PTA News

The PTA would like to welcome all our new Hammond Elementary School students who will be Guilford Tigers next year.  I met many of you two weeks at our “back to school” night, and invite you to our upcoming PTA Meeting on February 11th and our Evening of Kindness on February 18th.  Feel free to join our private facebook group to get updates from the PTA. https://www.facebook.com/groups/guilfordpta/

The PTA has big plans for 2020 and we could use your help! Come out to our February meeting on the 11th from 6:30-8:00pm in the media center.  We will be discussing final plans for our Evening of Kindness. And as always, we look forward to the report from the administration on important happenings at Guilford and HCPSS.

We look forward to seeing you on February 11th.

It’s Cool to be Kind

The PTA’s main fundraiser – RAISE CRAZE – kicks off on Thursday, February 6th. Look for a handout to come home with your student. You can register to participate at my.raisecraze.com/A9VV1U. Students can earn prizes by being kind and collecting donations for the school. Cash and Check, made payable to Guilford PTA, can be sent into the school including your student’s name and teacher.

Top Prizes:
TOP ACTS OF KINDNESS class will get to have an Indoor Snowball Fight!
TOP FUNDRAISING class will get a Pizza Party!
TOP FUNDRAISER in each Grade will take home their own Indoor Snowball Fight!
If the School-wide Goal of $4,500 is achieved, Mr. Fitzgerald will dress as a penguin for the day!

Important Dates:

2/6 - PTA Raise Craze Kickoff w/Faith in the
Flake assembly

2/11 - PTA Meeting (6:30 in the Media Center)

2/18 - PTA Evening of Kindness (6:30-8:00 in
the Gym)

Community News and Programs

Please visit the Community News and Programs and the HCPSS News page on the HCPSS website for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.