Trish Lannon, Principal
LaRae Guide, Assistant Principal

DATES TO REMEMBER:

September 20    School Spirit Day - Talk/Dress Like a Pirate
September 21    MCAP ELA Testing Grades 4 & 5
September 22    MCAP ELA Testing Grades 4 & 5
September 22    PTA Meeting 6:30 - 8pm in the Media Center
September 28    Dental ClinicThe 
September 28    MCAP Math Testing Grades 4 & 5
September 29    MCAP Math Testing Grades 4 & 5

Guilford Family and Friends,

What a difference 12 days of school makes! We are so thankful for all the help you all have given us to make arrival and dismissal go faster and smoother. We truly appreciate that parents have allowed their children to ride the bus, lowering the number of cars we have going through the carloop. Please remember to pull all the way up if you are in the front of the line. We need to fit as many cars as possible in order to alleviate the traffic jam on Oakland Mills Road.

Arrr! We really enjoy seeing all our staff and students participating in school spirit day. On Monday, September 20th, we will be celebrating National Talk Like a Pirate Day by dressing up like pirates! Yo-ho-ho, we hope to see lots of lads and lasses dressed up like pirates to help us celebrate. 

We know many of you are interested in volunteering in the classroom this school year. The first two steps every volunteer must do, is to complete the online Child Abuse & Neglect training and the Confidentiality training. When you have completed both of these, please send in both signed/completed documents to the front office. We will then enter them into our database. HCPSS has posted an update as to when volunteers can start (October 4th) and the requirements. You can find that information HERE.

As always, we are here to serve the Guilford ES community. If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please feel free to call the front office or email either one of us. We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!          

Mrs. Trish Lannon, Principal

Mrs. LaRae Guide, Assistant Principal

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

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!

Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run is back! The season will begin September 19th - November 15th and practices will be on Mondays and Wednesday from 4pm - 5:15pm at the school. The end-of-season 5K weekend is scheduled for the weekend of November 13-14, 2021. 

In-person teams will adhere to enhanced health and safety policies. Registration is $165 and includes a program shirt, water bottle, 5K registration, 5K shirt and finisher’s medal, as well as a cinch sack with all necessary program materials. There are scholarships available and the link to register for the season is located at: https://www.gotrcentralmd.org/

A Note From The Health Room

The dentist is coming. On September 28, 2021, Smile Maryland will be providing a dental check, a cleaning, fluoride treatment and sealants as needed. If you would like your child to be seen by the dentist, please fill out the form that was sent home, or sign up online at www.MySchoolDentist.com . More forms are available if needed. Please have all forms completed and turned in by Friday, September 17, 2021.

The Smile Program will be at Guilford on September 28th to provide dental care to the students. If you would like your child to be seen by the dentist at school, please fill out the consent form. Fill the form out completely, if your child has Medicaid please enter their Medicaid number on the form. If you have dental insurance, please enter all of your insurance information on the form. If you do not have dental insurance, check the box to request donated care and a donated care form will be sent home.  

Please return the completed consent form and return it to school by September 14th.

Parents also have the ability to enroll their children online by going to: https://www.myschooldentist.com/GEHCMD_sch

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.  

Fall MCAP Testing Information

As part of continued COVID-19 recovery efforts, the Maryland State Department of Education is conducting an early fall student assessment as one of several strategies to identify how students are performing academically. The results will help educators better understand student needs, so that we can address disrupted education and accelerate learning opportunities for all students.  These results never stand alone in assessing student growth and will be used in combination with other assessments and class work to gauge overall student performance.  

Students in grades 4 and 5 will participate in MCAP for ELA on September 21 & 22. They will participate in MCAP for Math on September 28 & 29.  Click here for more information about MCAP Early Fall Assessments.

Parent Volunteers for the 21/22 School Year

The county sent out general information about this topic. We are still awaiting the specifics, but you can read what was posted on the HCPSS website by going HERE.

Band/Orchestra News

Mrs. McDaniel announces that Band and Orchestra Sign-up began September
3rd for NEW musicians.  If your child is playing the same instrument as last year, they have had two meetings so far. Contact Mrs. McDaniel if your child missed these meetings for returning band/orchestra.  

For the NEW student musicians, sign-up closes on SEPT 14.

All students were given a 2-sided blue sign-up form to bring home.
If you can't find it, send Mrs. McDaniel an email at charlene_mcdaniel@hcpss.org and she will give your child another form. More information is available at www.gesmusic.org

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.