Note from Mr. Davis
Way to Go Guilford! I’m so excited that our students met the PTA Fundraising goal which means I will be dressing in a Penguin Costume on Wednesday, March 6th. It’s so amazing to hear all the Kind actions our students did throughout the month of February. Our 1st Kindness Night was a huge success and it was great to see so many families participating. I’m eager to hear our final total of money raised. Thank you to all who participated.
Friday is our annual Read Across Guilford day! We will celebrate with a full day of reading activities and we are encouraging students to dress as their favorite Dr. Seuss Character.
Keep your eye out on the weather, as we enter March, it sounds like there may continue to be weather that impacts our school schedule. The school system continues to make decisions based on student safety and we need to remember that the weather is often different throughout the county. Thank you for your attention. Have a wonderful week.
Jonathan Davis
Principal
Guilford Elementary School
Dates To Remember for 2019
March 2019
3/1 - Spirit Day - Dr. Seuss Day
3/4 - Picture Day- Group/Club Pictures Only
3/6 - Interim Reports Issued
3/12 - PTA Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
3/13 - PTA Restaurant Night: Modern Market at 6:00 p.m.
3/14 - Read With Me Night at 6:30 p.m.
3/15 - Spirit Day - Green Day
3/21 - Read With Me Night at 6:30 p.m.
3/22 - PTA Beatles Band Fundraiser at 6:00 p.m.
3/27 - 5th Grade Field Trip to Annapolis
3/29 - Spirit Day - Tie Dye Day
From the Title I Team
At GES, our Learning Compact and Plan includes goals for student achievement. This section of the Paw Prints will be used to share information parents can use to support their children in achieving the goals. We hope that this information is helpful to you!
GES Goal: Counting and mastering math facts
Math facts practice doesn’t have to mean flashcards. Here are some fun, easy, and active ways to practice counting or math facts! Make a set of cards with numbers (1,2,3, etc.) or math facts (for example: 2+2, 6-4, 4x5, 12÷4) to use in the games. Customize them to your child’s needs. (You can use index cards and markers, or just pieces of paper.)
Hopscotch
Use chalk to draw a hopscotch game on the driveway or sidewalk. Put a math card in each square. Pay hopscotch as you normally would, except each player must count or solve the math problem as they hop on each square.
Beat the clock
Set up an obstacle course in any room. Choose actions for your child to do in the obstacle course, such as jump over a tissue box, crawl under a table, or run along a taped line. Tape the math cards to each obstacle in the course. Use a stopwatch to see how fast your child can go through the obstacle course, counting or doing each math problem along the way.
Ball bounce
Write numbers from 1 – 12 on a playground ball with permanent marker. Have your child bounce the ball and catch it, or bounce it to you. The person with the ball must practice a math skill using two numbers his fingers are touching. For example, if fingers are on 4 and 5, he can add them (4+5), subtract using them (5-4) or multiply them (5x4). Also, your child can bounce the ball himself to practice multiples of different numbers. For example, he can practice the multiples of 9 for each bounce: 9, 18, 27, 36. Then he can say them backward: 81, 72, 63, 54.
Cross the river
Use a big piece of fabric – a blanket, sheet, beach towel, etc. - and put it on the floor to be the “river.” On the river, place math fact cards as stepping stones. Have your child cross the river by stepping on the stones.
The card game War
Do you remember this old card game? You can use this game to practice math facts. Divide a deck of playing cards evenly between the players. Each player turns over a card. To make this math skills practice, the person with the highest card must perform a math operation – counting for the numbers, adding the numbers, subtracting one number from another, or multiplying the numbers – before they can collect them. Each round is played the same. If two players turn over the same card, for example, two 7s, each player lays down 3 cards face down and the fourth card face up, and the person with the highest card performs the math operation and collects all ten cards. The winner is the person with the most cards when players decide to end the game.
News
URGENT! DEADLINE FOR BOX TOPS IS THURSDAY 2/28. Mrs. McDaniel is counting and submitting them to meet the March 1 deadline. Please send in any (even just 1) to support our BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION collection drive.
Bridges News
Dear Parents;
Your students have been participating in WE Schools for our Bridges program. This past November we did the WE Walk For Water Campaign to ensure good weather for the event. We walked and had a relay race and read a book about the water walk in Africa .This book told of the hardship women and girls endured to gain access to clean water in their country. Our students expressed how thankful they were to have clean water in our country and they shared some stories of their families in other countries. This is our 2nd year with WE. Last year WE showcased our school at WE Day Baltimore. This year WE is having a fundraiser event for clean water to their villages they support around the world. If you would like to donate for clean water please go to this link
https://www.crowdrise.com/donate/event/we-walk-for-water-usa?lang=en-us
Type in the team name: Deborah Robbins - GES Bridges
Click here to view Flyer: WWFW_Parent_Resource.pdf
Thank you for your support,
Deborah Robbins
GES Bridges Service Learning WE Schools Educator
March Reading Madness
Guilford’s schoolwide reading program, MARCH READING MADNESS, will kick-off
this Friday, March 1st. Throughout the month of March, all students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade, will be reading the same 16 pictures in order to determine Guilford’s favorite book. Students will have several options to enjoy each story through
classroom read alouds, independent reading time, or listening to the story being read by a GES staff member through the March Reading Madness website (https://gesmarchmadness.weebly.com/).
Throughout the month, students will keep track of the stories they have read or listened to on a reading log. Beginning April 1st, the students will vote for their favorite books on the reading bracket in order to determine Guilford’s favorite book. On
April 12th we will announce the schoolwide winner! We are looking forward to building community through the joy of reading!
Student Survey
Recent state law requires that all public schools in Maryland survey students about school climate. The purpose of the survey is to gain valuable information about the quality and character of each school’s learning environment so that schools can promote a climate that supports student learning.
Students will take the survey during regular school hours between March 4th – April 26th. The survey will ask students about topics such as student engagement, interactions with adults and with other students in the school, the school environment, bullying, and safety. The survey will not ask about a student’s personal experiences, and students will not be asked to provide any information that might violate his or her privacy.
The survey is confidential and school personnel will not have access to the responses of specific students. The responses your child provides will be combined with the responses from other students in the school, and results will be reported for each school and district.
We are eager to receive this very important information about your student’s school and about schools across the state.
If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Trish Lannon. Thank you.
BRING JAN BRETT TO GUILFORD!
It’s very simple to enter a vote - visit the website below, and enter your name, email, and contact information of our school.
http://www.janbrett.com/contest_2019/2019_free_school_or_library_visit.htm
The contest ends April 8th. Please encourage your family and friends to vote as well!
GES' contact information:
Guilford Elementary School
7335 Oakland Mills Road
Columbia, MD 21046
Registration for the G/T
Registration for the G/T Summer Institutes is underway. You can find the catalog on the HCPSS website at https://www.hcpss.org/f/summer/gt-summer-institutes-talent-dev-catalog.pdf (Links to an external site.)
Scholarships are available for students participating in the Free and Reduced Meals program.
Please feel free to contact Ms. McNamara or Ms. Stetz if you have any questions at all.
Before & After School Classes with Howard County Recreation & Parks
For complete information on these Before & After School classes, including how to Register, please go to http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1101410824386&ca=7e11e213-9db3-48bb-b660-968d74bfd10d&id=preview
You may also contact: William Banks Youth Programs Coordinator, Howard County Recreation & Parks, 7120 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia, MD 21046, 410.313.4721
Parent Volunteer Information
"According to HCPSS Board Policy, all parent volunteers must complete a Confidentiality Training Course about protecting the privacy of our students, staff, and schools. Please complete this course before registering to volunteer at Guilford Elementary School. The course takes about 5 minutes to complete, please click on the pdf file to open Parent Volunteer.pdf and follow these 3 steps":
Step One: Training Course - click through each page of the training course.
Step Two: Certification of Completion - print the Parent Volunteer Certification Form and complete.
Step Three: Register to Volunteer - Bring the completed and signed Certification Form to school before or on the day you volunteer.
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
You can sign up to volunteer for any ROAR cart dates throughout the year at http://signup.com/go/GjpwKzX.
Don't Forget to Join the PTA!
You can join on our website at http://www.guilfordpta.com/whatwedo/membership/ and send in a printed membership form with your student. The cost is $15 for an individual membership or $20 for a family membership. Thank you!!
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.